What Nate Has, Chuck Wants
by norahsilverbird
Summary: Nate/OC/Chuck. Nate's childhood friend arrives in New York after 12 years. When Nate introduces her to Chuck, things start to go differently. I'm bad at summaries, Read and review please.
1. Nate's Mate

Nate Archibald was waiting at the arrival area of JFK Airport. "stand up straight, Nate. I wouldn't want you looking like that when you see your old friend again" his dad, Captain Howard Archibald looked at him. Nate just rolled his eyes. He leaned against the limo, looking at the doors, hoping they would finally open. To his surprise, it did, and he was suddenly overcome with nostalgia. Walking towards them was his childhood friend, before he met Blair. The girl walked towards him, removing her aviators, and eyed him with familiarity. "Nate?" she said, running a hand through her long, wavy, brown hair. Nate's lips formed into a smile. "Dylan?" he said. "oh my god!" they hugged each other in excitement. "it's been so long! How have you been?!" Nate asked her. "it's been like, what? 12 years or something? Wow, you, look good" Dylan patted him on the shoulder. "you look good too, well, better from the last time we saw each other" Nate said. He couldn't help but smile wide. He looked at his dad, who was already in the limo. "you two can do that on the way. Come on in, we're going home" he said to them.

"so, Nate Archibald, what's going on with you?" Dylan asked as they got in. "well, I used to have a girlfriend. Remember Blair Waldorf?" Nate asked. "oh, her? What happened? I mean, why did you two break up?" Dylan asked. "well, it's a long, complicated story. She's gone to the South of France or something. I don't know. I just know she's out of the country. Well, how about you, Dylan Von Furstenburg? What have you been up to?" he asked, grinning. Dylan sighed. "well, I spent the next 12 years studying, of course. And for college, well, I got in Princeton, which is kind of a good thing. But I've always wanted to go to an art school and take up film" she answered, her eyes lighting up. Nate was amazed. She was no longer the scrawny, boisterous girl he knew when they were 5 years old. And all the more, he noticed that she was more beautiful now than the last time he saw her. "you've changed, you know" he said. "kind of. You however, didn't. Am I right?" Dylan chuckled then ruffled up his hair. "it's so nice to see you again, all the way from Paris. I bet you miss New York, huh?" Captain Archibald said to her. "I did miss New York. It's good to be back here. The cars, the traffic, the Upper East Side, seeing your childhood friends" Dylan smiled.

They spent the ride back, talking about what happened to them all those 12 years that they didn't see each other. Nate told her how the previous year had been for him, and that this summer, he wanted it to change. "so, things kind of changed a lot since we've grown apart, you know" Nate said. "things did. Like for my mom, she didn't really want to go back here. She didn't want to remember what happened the day she was about to leave this place" Dylan laughed. "so, where do we take her again, dad?" Nate asked him. "by the way, Dylan, your parents are having your condominium unit remodeled. You'll be staying with us for a while" he replied. "goody! This will be fun" Dylan smiled. The limo suddenly stopped. "and we're here" Nate said, looking out the window. They stepped out of the limo and went straight inside. "Nate, please show her where the guest room is" Captain Archibald said, then going into the parlor.

Meanwhile Chuck Bass stood at the sidewalk, waiting for his limo to take him to Nate's house. Being the Chuck Bass that he was, he looked at some girls up and down and then smiled to himself as he got in the limo. It was the start of summer, and he planned to go to the Hamptons for a long weekend, or probably for the rest of the summer. As he got out of the limo later on, he noticed some suitcases that were being brought in. "ah, Chuck" Captain Archibald shook his hand as he walked inside. "glad to be here, Mr. Archibald" Chuck said with a grin, then headed up to Nate's room. "Nate?" Chuck said, opening the door. He wasn't there. Chuck raised an eyebrow in suspicion. 'where is he?' he thought. He turned around and saw an open door. He walked towards it quietly, and saw Nate with a girl, on the bed, talking. As much as he wanted to barge in, and see his friend trying to score, he opted for the safe approach. He knocked on the door, and Nate sat up at once. "what is going on in here?" Chuck returned to his normal self, grinning at Nate. "Chuck! This is my friend, Dylan Von Furstenburg" Nate said. "hi" Dylan stood up as well, and smiled at Chuck. "it's a pleasure to meet you" Chuck kissed her hand. "I'm Chuck Bass" he said. "oh, Nate has told me so much about you" Dylan said. "as have you" he said, then looking at Nate. "we known each other way back, when we were 5" Nate said. "wow, then I don't see the reason why Nate shouldn't have you as a friend" he looked Dylan up and down. "so, the Von Furstenburgs. I know about your family. They travel all over, right?" he said. "yeah. As a matter of fact, they do" Dylan replied. "so, Nate, are you still joining me in the Hamptons?" Chuck turned to Nate this time. "yeah, of course. Dylan, would you like to join us in a weekend at the Hamptons perhaps?" Nate asked her. "yeah, great. I will" Dylan smiled at both of them.

Serena Van Der Woodsen looked at her phone. There was a message from Gossip Girl. It was a picture of Nate, with a girl, at JFK airport. Serena took a good look at the headline, then smiled, and left her place. Out on the sidewalk, she bumped into Nate and the girl themselves. "whoa, Serena" Nate said. "Nate, I'm sorry. Wow, uh, I haven't seen you in a while" Serena said, then looking at the girl. "you too. But then again, I hear something about you once in a while" Nate laughed. "oh, uh, Serena Van Der Woodsen, this is my childhood friend, Dylan Von Furstenburg" Nate said, and they shook hands. "so, are you new here in New York?" Serena asked. "oh, uh, I just moved back here. A lot has certainly changed since I left" Dylan said. "oh. Alright, so you and Nate go way back, huh?" Serena said. "yeah. Since we were 5 years old" Dylan laughed. "so, Nate, what are you doing for the summer besides hanging out with Chuck, and of course, Dylan?" Serena turned to him. "well, that's just about it. The three of us are going to the Hamptons, so, you know" Nate replied. "great. Well, you know me, I lock myself away in there too, wanting to get away from it all" Serena laughed, then smiled. "hey, Nate, I just remembered, I have to go to Bendels to pick up something for my mom. It was nice meeting you, Serena" Dylan said. "nice meeting you too" Serena said, as Dylan started walking away.

Dylan crossed the streets, going to Bendel's, unaware that someone was watching her. "where are you going?" someone said behind her. She turned around. There was a limo, parked in front of her on the street. The window rolled down, and Chuck appeared. "Chuck! Hey!" Dylan smiled and waved. "where are you going?" he asked. "oh, uh. Bendel's. My mom, actually, asked me to pick up something" she said. Chuck gave an approving nod. "how about you? Where are you going?" she asked. "nowhere. Going around for the meantime. Why not, I come with you?" he asked. "thanks, but I'm sure you have other plans. I don't want to get in the way of it or anything. I'll see you later" Dylan walked on. Chuck watched her leave, and cross the street. "take me to Bendels" he said to the driver, and the window rolled up in front of him.

Serena and Nate ate at a small coffeeshop. "she seems nice" Serena said, eating a sandwich. "she is. It's good to have her back here, you know. It's been a while since we last talked. Back when we were little, I remembered pouring sand all over her dress" Nate began to laugh. "she cried after that" he laughed again, and Serena began to laugh as well. "aww, that's so cute" she said. Nate just stopped and smiled. "I haven't seen you smile a lot ever since she came back" Serena said, noticing his unusual habit. "it just feels good knowing there are things you can go back to, you know. But don't get me wrong, I don't look at her that way or anything" he looked out on the street. "wait, you introduced her to Chuck, right?" Serena asked, wiping her mouth. Nate nodded. "yeah, he was there when we were talking" "great, at least she's aware of what to expect when she meets him" Serena said. "yeah, I guess" Nate nodded in agreement.

Dylan looked through aisles and aisles of clothes, looking for something to send to her mother. Her fingers running along the clothes, she looked around some more. "you know, you should get that blue sweater" she heard a familiar voice. Slowly turning around, Chuck was standing right behind her. "Chuck, it's just you. I'm guessing you shop here too?" Dylan asked, smiling at him. "I told you I didn't have anywhere to go at the moment. Besides, I thought I'd help you" he said, standing beside her this time, looking at the clothes in front of them. "I don't really need any help. Thanks" Dylan said. Chuck stood back and watched her look through racks. He looked her up and down again, impressed by what he saw of her. "did anyone tell you that you're beautiful?" he suddenly said. Dylan didn't say anything. "you're very beautiful, you know" he said. Dylan turned to face him. "thanks" she said, then looked through another aisle. Chuck began to follow her. Dylan faced him, stopping him in his tracks. "I've just met you, so please, stop it" she said, her tone a little more serious. "okay, since this doesn't seem to work. You, me, that little Italian restaurant at Park Avenue tonight, 8 PM" he said. Dylan shook her head, scoffing. "you really go for what you want, don't you?" she said, looking at him. Chuck stepped closer. "of course. I'm Chuck Bass" he said, kissing her hand. "I'll pick you up at 7:30" he smiled, then walked away.

By the time she left Bendel's, she suddenly bumped into Serena, knocking her bag off, and it fell to the floor. "Dylan! Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't see you" she said, as Dylan picked up her bag. "it's fine, it's fine. These aren't mine anyway" Dylan laughed. "so, I know you're Nate's friend, and I was wondering if we could get to now each other, since I knew Nate almost as long as you have too, and I could perhaps tell you more about what went on last year. I figured Nate already told you" Serena said. "great. Just the girls, that would be fun!" Dylan smiled. "come on, first things first, there are a few people I want you to meet" and she pulled her onto the street.


	2. Handsome Dirty Rich

"where are we?" Dylan asked, as they were inside a building. "I'm going to introduce you to some people. Friends of Nate's too" she said. "okay, but I'm a little freaked out by this" Dylan laughed. Serena opened knocked on the door. "coming" someone said behind it. Once it opened, a tall dark-haired Dan Humphrey stepped out. "hi Dan" Serena wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "hey there. Uh, who's she?" he looked at Dylan. "oh, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg. Dylan, this is Dan Humphrey" she said, and they shook hands. "Dylan's a friend of Nate's, so I brought her here, since she doesn't know anyone else" Serena said. "Nate, huh?" Dan looked at Dylan. He suddenly knew what kind of girl she was. "yeah. We've been friends since we were five" she laughed. "oh, that's, that's nice" Dan said. "so, is Jenny around?" Serena said. "she is. Come on in, come on in" Dan stepped aside to let them in. "where's your dad?" Serena asked. "he's out. So it's just me and Jenny around here" Dan said. He looked up. "Jenny!" he called out. And Jenny suddenly appeared behind them. "what's up? Oh, hi Serena" Jenny said, as Serena waved at her. "Jenny, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg. Dylan, my sister Jenny. Dylan's uh, a friend of Nate's" Dan said. "hi" Dylan smiled. "hey" Jenny said. "I brought her here, since she just moved back from Paris, and she doesn't really know anyone around here, so, there you go" Serena said. "cool" Jenny said. "hey, nice skirt" Dylan said. "thanks. I made it myself" Jenny twirled around. "anyway, you know, us girls should definitely hang out sometime. I mean, we could have a girl's night out or something" Serena said. "yeah, it's summer anyway, unless you have plans with Nate or something?" Jenny looked at Dylan. "well, Nate's kind of bringing me along on his Hamptons summer with Chuck, but I'm not so sure when we're leaving yet" Dylan said. "that's okay, we're going too!" Serena said. "but having a girl's night out is great! The three of us!" Dylan's eyes suddenly lit up, but then her run-in with Chuck came into her mind. "oh my, I just remembered, Chuck" Dylan said. They all looked at her. "Chuck?" Dan's brow was raised. "yeah, I uh, ran, or actually saw him in Bendel's earlier" Dylan said. "what? he asked you out or something?" Dan asked. "well, kind of. Yeah" Dylan nodded. "ah yes. I knew it" Dan said, nodding like he was expecting it. Serena stared at Dylan, befuddled. "he did?" she asked.

That afternoon, Dylan and Serena arrived at the house. "you know Nate might flip out when he hears about this. It's a little too fast, but then again, he was always straightforward" Serena said, as they entered the guest room, where Dylan was sleeping in. "why? oh yeah. He told me all about that thing that happened, last year, with Blair" Dylan sat down on the bed. "but we're not even anything anyway. Nate and I are just friends. We always have been. Our relationship never went beyond platonic" Dylan shrugged, standing up and looking at herself in the mirror. "oh my. And to think, he's now my step-brother" Serena said. "step-brother?" Dylan asked. "yeah. His dad, married my mom" Serena said with a sigh. "oh, that makes sense to why you act like that" Dylan said. "well, what did you say?" She asked Dylan. "it's not really asking per se, it was more of assuming. But I didn't say yes" Dylan said. "but you didn't say no either" Serena said as well. "but he also said he was going to pick me up at 7:30 tonight" Dylan said. "this was what I was afraid of" Serena rubbed her temples. "why? I think I've been informed of how Chuck Bass is. I think I can take him. I'll be alright" Dylan sat down in front of the boudoir. "where is he taking you?" Serena asked her. "that small Italian restaurant in Park Avenue" Dylan replied. Seeing Serena's reactions to what she said made her a little nervous all of a sudden. But then again, she knew Chuck Bass was a womanizer. "I'll try to talk to him tonight about this" she said. "why are you hopped up about this? You make it sound like a bad thing" Dylan asked. "Chuck is well… a pig" Serena finished. "he sleeps with so many girls. This is probably bad because you're Nate's friend, and you guys both go way back. I wouldn't really want to witness what happened last year, again" Serena said. "hey, even if I just met you, I just have to tell you not to worry about me. I think I know what I'm getting myself into here" Dylan assured. "this one kind of worries me, even though I'm not supposed to. You're probably jet-lagged by now" Serena said. "yeah, I am. But first, I need help looking for what to wear" Dylan laughed, going to her bags. "haven't unpacked yet, huh?" Serena said, looking at the suitcases by the door. "not yet. I was hoping I would today, tonight even" Dylan opened one suitcase.

Nate appeared at the doorway of Dylan's room that night. "hey, you're all dressed up" he said, looking at the black dress she was wearing. "yeah. I'm going somewhere tonight" Dylan smiled, as she put on her earrings. "alone? Or with someone?" he asked her. Dylan turned to face him. "I'm going with Chuck" she said. "what?" Nate's eyes widened in surprise. "we met, or actually saw each other at Bendel's earlier. I didn't really say anything. He just kind of assumed. But I don't like him or anything" Dylan said. Nate stayed quiet. "oh, oh, okay. Looks like it's just me tonight" he said, his lips curving into a smile. "I'm sure I'll be back later tonight" Dylan laughed. "hey, I met Dan and Jenny earlier" Dylan said. "Dan Humphrey? Jenny Humphrey? Wow, you make friends that fast too" Nate said. "yeah. Serena pulled me" Dylan laughed again. They suddenly heard the limo park up their house. "that would probably be Chuck" Nate looked at his watch. It was exactly 7:30. "oh, right on time too" he said, impressed. "you make it sound like it's the first time he came on time" Dylan said. "Serena probably told you more about him" Nate said. "I'll open the door, then" Nate said, leaving the room. Dylan watched him leave, then took a deep breath, and put on some makeup. She was already wondering if what she was doing was fine. 'it's fine. You can go through this, Dylan. He's a guy that sleeps with so many girls, you shouldn't be surprised when you find out that he's already seeing someone else' she thought, while putting on more makeup.

Nate opened the door. The limo was parked there, it's windows shut, the sunroof was closed as well. And the sounds he could hear were of the traffic jams at the other side, and the cars honking one after the other. The door suddenly opened, and Chuck came out, dressed in a suit, about to knock. "hey Nate" he said, standing out there. "hey Chuck. Come in" Nate said. "is she ready?" he sat down on the chair. "she's coming down" Nate leaned on the wall, crossing his arms. "so, where do you plan on taking her?" Nate asked him. "that little Italian restaurant in Park Avenue. Someplace quiet, so we can get to know each other. Then down to my Burlesque club for some drinks, who knows what might happen" Chuck grinned, visualizing Dylan in her lingerie. It seemed to make Nate twitch a bit, knowing how Chuck was like on dates. "relax. Serena and I talked about it" Chuck noticed Nate's expression. The grin on his face grew wider, once he saw Dylan appear, all dressed and made up. Nate was in awe of her as well. "hello Chuck" she said. "hello" Chuck said, then opened the door. "I'll see you later" Dylan patted Nate on the shoulder. "okay" Nate just said. They walked out into the sidewalk, Chuck holding the limo door open for Dylan to get in. "Park Avenue. That Italian restaurant please" Chuck said to the driver, upon closing the door, and they were on their way.

Nate watched the limo leave with a nonplussed expression on his face. He hoped he would spend time with the friend that he hasn't seen in 12 years. He closed the door, and leaned against it. He felt a slight envy for Chuck and Dylan. He wasn't seeing anybody, and Dylan could be, after this one thing of theirs. His phone suddenly rang, breaking his contemplative mood. "hello?" he said. "Nate, it's me" Dylan was on the line, obviously calling from the limo. "listen, I'm sorry I kind of ditched you today. I wanted to spend time with you too since I just arrived, you know" Dylan said. "it's fine, it's fine. Chuck asked you first, so it's alright. He's my friend too" Nate said, standing up straight. "tell you what, after this thing, I'm all yours" Dylan chuckled. Nate smiled. "okay, okay, at least I have your undivided attention right?" Nate chuckled. "okay, it's a deal then. I'm glad I told you. See you later" and they both hung up. Nate smiled to himself again, he put his phone back in his pocket, then climbed up the stairs.

"so, Dylan," Chuck said as they sat down. "what brings you back here?" he asked, observing her. "I moved back here, just because I wanted to. I was hoping I could apply at Yale as well, but I got in Princeton, so, that's the obvious choice" Dylan said, sipping her martini. "beauty and brains. I like that in a woman" Chuck stared at her. "I just wanted us to get to know each other. I know what happened between you, Nate, and Blair" Dylan said. "that's the past. We've put it all behind us. Why? You'd think I'd end up falling for you? That's a bit presumptuous" Chuck said. "and you thinking the same way about me isn't?" Dylan answered. "actually, I was thinking about it. I think by the end of the summer, you'd be all over me" he grinned. "really? first impressions are true after all" Dylan said, leaning forward. "and your concern for Nate doesn't have anything to do with this?" Chuck asked. "Nate's my friend. If he finds out you're trying to play your little mind games with me, he's going to flip out" Dylan said. "is that so? I beg to differ. Nate can do whatever he wants. With my advice of course" Chuck replied. They stared at each other for a moment. There was silence between them. "you might want to get that" Chuck said, noticing that Dylan's phone was ringing. "hello?" she answered it. "Nate, hi" she said, emphasizing his name in front of Chuck. "yeah, I'm still with Chuck. Are you alone in there? the background seems so quiet" Dylan asked, her eyebrow raised. "kind of. Yeah. I mean, I just saw some of our old pictures when we were kids" Nate said, with a photo in his hand. "alright, talk to you later" Dylan put her phone in her purse.

Serena and Dan were walking along the sidewalk, the streetlights suddenly made it feel romantic. There weren't many cars around, so it was somehow quiet. "did you talk to Chuck about him and Dylan?" Dan asked. "yeah. I just asked him to go easy on her, you know. Jet-lagged, and Nate's friend going on a thing with Chuck Bass, it might not go that smoothly" Serena said, as they walked on. "you know, if this were up to me, I'd rather have her go out with Nate, as brotherly as this seems" Dan said. "what? Dylan and Nate? You just met Dylan, I just met Dylan, it's a little out there. But then again, when has everything not been out there" Serena said. "well, she seems like a free spirit. I can tell from the way she walks, she talks, and dresses, I might add" Dan said. "okay, okay, I get it. But you're in need of guy friends" Serena seemed disturbed by the idea. "are you kidding? I have guy friends" Dan said. "ahem, ahem, I beg to differ" Serena said. "alright, alright, enough about Dylan, and Nate, and Chuck, let's go, I'll take you home" Dan said, pulling Serena to cross the street.

From an uncomfortable and heated argument between Dylan and Chuck, the rest of the night went surprisingly smooth. Chuck took her to the Burlesque club, and from there, they had a couple of martini's. "it's a little bit funny, how you and Nate still seem awfully close having been apart for 12 years" he said, while drinking. The loud music didn't seem to help them both. "he's like the brother I've never had. I always saw him that way. So, tell me, Mr. Bass, where do you think, this going out is leading?" she asked, giving him a look, countering the one he just gave her. "it depends. But there wouldn't be any thrill when you and I both know, right?" he said. "may I remind you that we aren't on a date?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. "my apologies, Dylan" he said. "why don't we start over? Have a clean slate. Keep in mind that I'm doing this for Nate, and Nate alone. He would, of course would want us to get along, just in time for our trip to the Hamptons, right?" Chuck said. "so am I, and you're right. But, when you asked me this, I didn't even say yes" Dylan said. "but you didn't say no either. It's a mutual agreement" Chuck cut her off. Dylan stared at him.


	3. Dylan is a Punk

The rest of the night was spent on talking, getting to know each other, and possibly a few more drinks. As soon as they reached the house, Chuck opened the door for Dylan to get out. "this has been eventful, I must say" Dylan looked at Chuck. "it was indeed a pleasure, Dylan. I'll see you around" Chuck said, grinning, then closed the door behind her. The window rolled down, and he winked at her. "see you in the Hamptons, Dylan" he said, as the windows rolled back up again, and the limo took off. Dylan climbed the steps, opened the door, and went inside. The house was quiet, knowing that Nate was just the only person around. She closed the door, and turned to climb up the stairs. "how did it go?" someone said. She turned around slowly. "Nate! I thought you'd be sleeping by now" Dylan saw him sitting on the couch. She removed her shoes, and put it to one side. "I can't exactly sleep right away, knowing you're back here in New York" Nate said. "so you waited for me?" Dylan just stood there in front of him. "kind of" Nate laughed. She just smiled, then sat down beside him. "so, I have to fulfill my end of the agreement. What do you want to do today?" she asked. "today? What time is it?" Nate looked around for a clock. "it's 2 AM" Dylan said. "alright, you want to go see a movie or something? Without subtitles?" he chuckled. "oh yeah. Movies back in Paris always had either edited audio or subtitles" Dylan sat back. Nate just smiled. "so, as I was saying earlier, when you got back, how did it go? did he make a pass on you or something?" he asked. "well…" and Dylan told him exactly what happened during her meeting with Chuck.

"it is amazing how the French live" Nate said, amazed. "yeah it is. C'est difficire a croire" Dylan said. "wow, you picked up on that pretty fast" Nate said. "well, 12 years, Nate, 12 years" Dylan said. "nothing kind of changed in this town, except now, that you're back" Nate said. "so, are the girls chasing after you?" she looked at Nate. "come on, whatever, are the guys going after you in Paris?" Nate quipped back. "I don't think about that, and besides I don't kiss and tell" Dylan grinned. "I am officially offended" Nate said with sarcasm. "come on, it's pointless. But you should know, the way the people back there live their night life, it's pretty amazing. I went to parties here and there, and spent most mornings hungover" Dylan said. "you are a punk" Nate said to her. They laughed at the thought, and as Nate was telling his story, he looked at Dylan, who had already fallen asleep.

"Dylan, Dylan, wake up" a voice said to her. Dylan's eyes opened. She looked around, a little confused on where she was. "hey, hey, it's me" she looked beside her and saw Nate, hair tousled and groggy. "Nate, Nate, were you uh, here too?" Dylan said, sleepily, trying to stand up. "yeah, I kind of slept beside you, which is obvious, because I just woke up too, and I see you here with me" he said, rubbing his eyes. Dylan looked at herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she wore last night, with her smudgy makeup, and her earrings were still on. "we had a long talk last night, huh" Dylan said, fixing herself, removing the earrings. "it was. It felt long, though, after an hour, you fell asleep already" Nate said. "oh" Dylan said. "Hey, I was thinking we just go for a walk today, check out some places" Nate was stretching in his seat. "that sounds cool, hey, when are we going to the Hamptons?" Dylan said. "probably the day after tomorrow" Nate said. "good, because I plan to unpack the rest of my stuff today" Dylan laughed.

Chuck sat on the couch, recalling the night's events with Dylan. He poured himself a glass of scotch, then stared at it, remembering how the night went again. The places they went, the things they talked about, how they both looked as well. Her face never seemed to leave his thoughts, as he just sat there, feeling as blank and as indifferent as usual. But. That was just it. But. It was hard for him to get her out of his thoughts. He wasn't one to believe in love at first sight. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she was smart. And yes, she had a sense of humor. But, she was Nate's childhood friend. One word: BUT. She was a challenge to start. It would have to take more than his usual reason of "I'm Chuck Bass" to get to her. He then looked at the bright side. He was going with her and Nate to the Hamptons for the summer. The Hamptons. He would finally catch her in a swimsuit. Possibly a bikini that probably would reveal a little of her. He was practically fantasizing about her in even lesser clothes than before. BUT, he had to shake it off. He remembered the conversation they had in the club, with the loud music, the dancers in front of them, and just the two of them. He shook his head. "fascinating" he said.

"so there was loud, tango music in the club, I was just there, talking to my friends, and then this guy comes up to me, saying pus je-avoir cette danse, or may I have this dance, and then of course, after agreeing, he suddenly grabs my ass" Dylan suddenly said. Nate laughed at the thought. "I mean, of course I was offended, but after recalling it over and over again, I was like, "why the hell am I mad? We were just dancing anyway. It was probably part of it" she said. "wow, I wish I was there to witness it all. It would've made a good story for Gossip Girl" Nate joked. "Gossip Girl?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. "yeah. Serena will tell you more about it. She knows about that, whatever's up on the site, everyone's been talking about it" he said. "oh, alright" Dylan nodded. They walked down the street some more, suddenly running into Serena and Dan. "hi guys" Dylan said. "hey Nate, Dylan. So, how did it go?" Dan asked. "it went surprisingly well" Dylan said. "wow, this is almost the first time Chuck didn't make out with a girl on the first meeting" Dan said, with impending sarcasm. "I know, I mean, I've heard about what he's like on these kinds of things. Going after girls" Dylan nodded. "hey, Dylan, are you interested in art? Because we have this thing tonight, at the Bedford Art Gallery, Jenny's showing off her designs, again" Dan said. "great! I'll be there. I mean, we'll be there" Dylan then looked at Nate. "yeah, sure, we'll be there" Nate nodded. "hey, you guys want to come hang out with us?" Serena looked at them. "we were actually going to see a movie. Dylan's a bit tired of watching those with subtitles and edited audio" Nate looked at Dylan. "oh, alright, well, we'll see you tonight then" Serena said, waving at them, as they went in opposite directions.


	4. Excuse My French

Nate dropped by Chuck's place that afternoon. "where's Dylan?" Chuck said as he came in. "she's at home, unpacking" Nate said. "so, I hear you guys had a good time last night" he said, sitting down on the chair. "I had a good time" chuck nodded. "that's all? You two got to know each other pretty well" Nate said. "we did. Nothing more, nothing less" Chuck grinned. "okay, okay I hear you on that," Nate gave a nod. "Wait, are the three of us going to the Hamptons together, or should Dylan and I just meet you there?" he asked. Chuck thought for a moment. "I don't know. I think I'll get back to you on that" he said. "it's pretty great having her around again. I miss the good old days" Nate sat back. Chuck gave him a look. "what? she can speak French" Nate said. "that's the thing about living in Paris for 12 years, Nate" Chuck told him. "come on, it's not everyday I meet someone like that. She even speaks Italian and Greek" he added. "I'm sure with a family like hers, it's no surprise" Chuck said. "she didn't tell you that?" Nate raised a brow. "she did, I was expecting she would. Her parents are globe-trotters. She came along with them to Italy and Greece when she was 13" Chuck said. "whoa, suddenly you know her better than I do" Nate said. "I've done some research. Tell you what, the three of us go to the Hamptons together. We'll go there by limo. I'll send the car by 10 AM" Chuck said.

"Dylan? It's me Nate" he said on the phone. "hi Nate" Dylan smiled. "Chuck says he'll pick us up tomorrow, at 10 in the morning" he said. "I thought we were going on a jitney?" Dylan said. "ah yes. Change of plans, he says he will pick us up. Might want to cancel our jitney idea" he said. "oh, oh, alright. But, wouldn't you like a little adventure? I mean, wouldn't you like une petite aventure?" Dylan said. He could tell she was pouting from the way she said it, which he found cute, in a weird way. "ah, that does seem interesting" Nate said. "alright, alright, hey, you'd better be home later, we have to get ready for Jenny's thing tonight" Dylan said. "I know, I know, I'll see you later"

"hey, hey" Dan and Jenny came inside. "hi" Dylan said. "we thought of dropping by" Jenny said. "thanks, I guess, but you know, Nate's not here. He's with Chuck at his place, I'm just unpacking the rest of my stuff, for the time being. My condo's being remodeled" Dylan said, as they stepped in the living room. "oh, hey, want us to help you out?" Dan asked. "uh, no thanks, I'm practically done here. so, what's up?" Dylan asked. "oh, uh, you want to hang out somewhere?" Dan said. "oh, yeah, sure, where did you want to go?" Dylan said. "we thought we'd show you around, since it's been a while since you were here, from what we hear from Nate" Dan said. "and, of course, I have something to give you" Jenny showed her a dress. "wow, this is, nice! c'est fabuleux! cela ne ressemble pas à ceux je vois d'habitude en arrière à Paris, très frais, très frais effectivement" she said. Dan and Jenny stared at her. "oh, sorry, I blurt out things in French. But in case you're wondering, I said this isn't like the ones I usually see in Paris" she chuckled. "oh, thanks. I think" Jenny said. "I'm definitely going to wear this tonight" Dylan looked at herself in the mirror. "I also made something for Nate that matches your dress" she placed something on the couch. "cool" Dylan said, still looking at the mirror. "I figured I'd match yours with Nate's because you two sort of look like a Barbie and a Ken" she said. "this feels like prom all over again" Dylan said. "hey, are you going tonight?" she looked at Dan. "of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world" Dan said.

"so, how are you two with the catching up?" Serena asked Nate that day. "it's alright. She's been telling me stuff about her twelve years She blurts out in French every now and then" he said. "really now? hey, I'm going to Jenny's thing tonight, you're going, right?" Serena said. "yeah, me and Dylan are. Chuck isn't. As usual" Nate said. "you and Dylan? You make it sound like you're a couple" Serena grinned. "we're not. We hang out together, I think she's seeing someone here" Nate looked around. "really? that seems fast" Serena said. "I just have a gut feeling. She's like a sister to me, or more of a twin sister, that's all" Nate said. "a very beautiful, sexy, smart, can speak French kind of twin sister" Serena added. "would you stop teasing me? It's bad enough I'm not going out with anyone right now" Nate said. Serena's phone started to ring. "I just got a message from Dan, I have to go, I'll see you and Dylan tonight" she smiled as she turned to leave. Nate suddenly thought. 'was Serena right?'

Chuck appeared behind Dylan that night. "Chuck! qu'est-ce que faites-vous ?!" Dylan suddenly said, falling on her bed. "fortunately, I'm fluent enough to know what you're saying. I just wanted to drop by and give you these" he said, giving her a small box. Dylan looked at him, then looked at the box, and opened it. "from your secret admirer" he said. Dylan gave him a look. "nice try" she said, placing it on the bed. "would I lie to you?" he came closer. "well, you're Chuck Bass" Dylan said. "it's pretty clear you don't trust me" he said. "you'd think wouldn't you?" she said. "I'm serious about this. I picked it up as I was going here" he said. Dylan stared at him. "alright, alright, I believe you" she said. "good. Now, a little bird told me, you have your eye on that guy in the coffee shop across the street" he said. "why do you care? Are we going out? no" Dylan said. "I'm afraid that's about to change" he said, as he came closer, and touched her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her, until Dylan looked away. "I'm not that kind of girl" she said, picking up some more of her stuff, and placing it on the dresser. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for tonight" she said, going to her closet. "suit yourself. I'll send the car tomorrow by 10" he said. Dylan looked at him. "I know" and Chuck left the place.

What happened earlier stuck in her mind as she was getting dressed. "you ready?" Nate leaned against the door of the room, already dressed in what Jenny had made for him. "yeah, almost" Dylan said, slipping on her shoes. "you look great, as usual" he said. "you too. And hey, we match" Dylan laughed. "looks like it" Nate laughed as well. He then noticed Dylan when she stopped laughing. She had a smile on her face, yet he could tell she was kind of problematic on something. "you okay?" he said. Dylan looked at him. "me? yeah, I'm fine, never been better" she smiled, then taking her purse. "come on, Dyl, let's go" he said, grabbing her hand, as they walked out the door. "hey, Nate, I know it's a little like grade school, but, I think I kind of like this guy" she said, as they walked down the sidewalk. 'there's my feeling confirmed' Nate thought, as they walked on. "he keeps on going to that coffee shop across the street. I went there once, and naturally, I saw him. We got to talking, and then I think he's going to ask me out or something" Dylan said, smiling wide. "so, what's the name of that guy?" Nate said. "Julian. Julian Mercer. I think he studies in the same school as you do, since he knows you" she said. "oh, St. Jude's, right. I haven't heard of him, I'm sorry to say" Nate laughed. "that's alright. So, are you seeing anyone lately?" Dylan asked. "in two days? I spent the whole day with you, and yesterday with Serena, are you kidding me?" Nate said, playfully punching her on the arm. "I was kidding" Dylan laughed. "wait a minute, we're right on time when we get there, so do you want to get some coffee first?" Nate said. "no thanks. There's drinks in the event, right?" Dylan laughed. "I don't plan on getting drunk, so, count me out if you want me to carry your drunk self home" Nate said. "I won't drink as much, I promise. Not as much as I used to back in Paris" Dylan laughed as they crossed the street.

The music was loud, people were arriving for Jenny's event. "cool event, J" Serena said, as she kissed Dan. "thanks" Jenny said, looking around, and saw Dylan and Nate coming inside. "looks like they're here" Serena said. Everyone stared at them as they came in, their phones in hand. "Jenny!" Dylan said, upon seeing her, with Dan and Serena behind her. "wow, cool party" Nate said. "your dress fits really well. How did you know my size?" Dylan asked her. "when I saw you, I figured out your size and stuff" Jenny said. "trés bien" Dylan said. "I'm just going to go to the bar, get a drink" Nate said, then left. "looks like Chuck Bass is here" Dan said. "oh, Chuck" Dylan turned around.


	5. Time To Pretend We're Partying

"I should have known you would be here" Chuck said, as he came over. "did Nate, by any chance, tell you we'd be here?" Dylan asked. "as a matter of fact, he did. Earlier this morning. But, information, and sheer loathing aside, this is a party, or more like an event" Chuck got a glass of champagne. "if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get myself something, cheers" he spotted a girl, then followed her. "hey, Jenny, thanks for the dress, again" Dylan said. "oh, no problem. You're like my very own Barbie doll now" Jenny said. "me? I thought Serena would be a Barbie doll" Dylan laughed. "no, no, trust me. You'd make a way better Barbie doll than I am" Serena laughed as well. "hey, guys, ready for the Hamptons tomorrow?" she said. "oh yeah, I think I've packed enough already. Still need to do some shopping though when I get there tomorrow. Haven't brought enough clothes with me when I arrived here yesterday" Dylan said. "cool! I'll come with you. I'm in dire need of a girl shopping buddy aside from my boyfriend over here" Serena's eyes lit up. "yes, please, take her" Dan said. "did I miss anything?" Nate suddenly appeared. "a little, but I doubt you'd want to hear about it" Jenny said, then going around to the crowd. "try me" Nate grinned. "we're going shopping" Dylan looked at him. "oh, please, I am not in the mood to hear any more about that" Nate covered his ears, while Dan laughed.

Chuck sat in the bar, looking at the crowd partying, disgusted. "lack of potential. Although, with you, I'd make an exception" he stroked the cheek of the female bartender standing in front of him. "hey, Chuck, enjoying the party so far?" Dan appeared at the bar, then ordering a drink. "does it look like I'm enjoying?" Chuck looked at Dan. "sorry I asked" Dan said. Chuck groaned by himself, then finished his drink. He then looked at Dylan, Nate, and Serena, all whom were laughing and talking in the corner, each holding drinks. He began to stare at them, especially Dylan, looking her up and down. He shrugged as he remembered what happened on the day they first met. "she has her eye on that guy in the coffee shop across the street from their house" Chuck suddenly said. Dan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "excuse me?" he said. "Dylan. She's had her sights set on this coffee shop guy. I'm wondering what's her type" he said. "this is a first. Chuck Bass, wondering what kind of guy does Nate's friend like" Dan said. "and I'm emphasizing on Nate's friend" Dan said. "don't push it" Chuck said. "and besides, I remember telling her, by the time this summer ends, she's be all over me" he said. He cast a look at Dan. "why am I telling you this? Ugh, excuse me. All this opening up is getting a little excruciatingly painful" Chuck said, leaving. "suit yourself" Dan said, drinking.

"Chuck, you're here. I thought you don't want to come to these things" Nate said, as Chuck appeared. "this can be an exception" Chuck said, then looking at Dylan. "oh, hi again, Chuck" Dylan said. "hello, mademoiselle" Chuck said. "same to you, monsieur" Dylan said. "can I talk to you in private?" he whispered in her ear. "why? what's there to talk about?" Dylan said. "is there a problem or something?" Serena noticed them. "nothing. There is no problem" Dylan said. "excuse me, I need to have a word with Dylan here" Chuck said, pulling her to the corner. "okay, okay, fine" Dylan trailed after him.

They went to one corner, and Dylan crossed her arms. "what do you see in the guy in the coffee shop?" he asked. "what? how do you know about Julian?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. "I know some people" he said. "so, you do like the guy" he looked at her. "why do you care? He's cute, and for your information, it's none of your business" Dylan said. "actually, I think it is my business. You see, that guy, Julian Mercer, is not really the guy you think he would be" he said. "so it seems. Actually, I got a message from him. I'll meet him later tonight, at least it's before I leave" Dylan said. "not that you'd be so interested or anything" she added. "don't believe me, fine, go with him. I don't think Nate would actually notice, since this is a party, and you can sneak out like a ghost" he said, taking a step forward. "alright, you can bet on it" and Dylan left the place.

She walked back to the house and crossed the street, and saw Julian, leaning on the streetlight. "hi, Dylan" he said. "hey" Dylan smiled. "you want to come inside for some coffee" he said. "sure" and they went inside. "table for two, please" he said to the waitress, and she led them to a table in the corner. "thanks, for agreeing to this meeting" he said. "it was a pleasure. I would've known our little eye contact across the street was going to turn out to be like a date" Dylan smiled. "of course. It's my pleasure to go out with a Von Furstenburg" he said. "no, no, the pleasure is all mine. And besides, it's nice to go out with a New Yorker, apart from the guys back home" she said. "home? In Paris, right?" he said. Dylan looked at him weirdly. "how did you know? I didn't even tell you" she said. "I have eyes and ears" he said. 'okay, this is getting out of hand' she suddenly thought. "how was it like back there? given your past history of partying all night long in those nightclubs?" he continued, giving her a look. "what?" she said. "and the fact that you were a slut back home?" he said. Dylan stood up all of a sudden. "excuse me" she said, rushing through the crowd to get out. "hey! Hey!" Julian followed her out onto the street. "you can't run away from what happened back there!" he said, as Dylan was across the street already. "I know where you live in Paris, whore!" he shouted. "hey! Stay away from her" Chuck appeared all of a sudden. "stay out of this Bass" he glared at him. "she's my friend. Now, you can either stay away from her, or if not, I'm going to call the cops and charge you for sexual assault. You forget, I can find some evidence that you did" he said, coming up to him. Julian glared at him, and at Dylan, who was fuming, then walked away. He turned around, and came up to her. "let's go back to the party. There's an open bar, free-flowing drinks, and, of course, all of the people we know" he said.

"hey, you're here, I've been looking all over for you" Nate said, as Chuck and Dylan arrived. "you better bring her home" Chuck said. Dylan still didn't say anything. "are you okay?" he asked her. "me? I'm fine. I just-I just want to go to the bar, and get myself drunk, if that's okay with you" she said. "okay, okay, tell me everything over there. Thanks for bringing her back, Chuck" he said, following Dylan to the bar.

She leaned on the bar, her martini beside her. "what happened back there? did Chuck do anything to you?" Nate asked. "no, he didn't. Something did happen to me, and fortunately, he was there and stopped it all" she said. "what? what happened?" he said. "can, you please take me away from here now? I'll tell you about it later" she got down from the barstool. "okay, come on, come on, let's go home, let's go home" he said. As they passed by Chuck, Dan, and Serena, they left abruptly. "what's going on with Dylan and Nate?" Serena asked Chuck. "something happened, good thing I was there to stop her. Look, I have to take off too. Always a pleasure" Chuck said, then left the place. "what's up all of a sudden?" Dan said, confused. "Dylan looked pretty upset, and shaken all of a sudden" Serena looked at him. "at least Nate's there. He's her best friend" Dan assured her.

They got back to the house, and Dylan slumped on the couch. "you remember Julian, right?" she said. "yeah" Nate sat beside her. "well, I guess you don't really know the whole thing about me all these 12 years in Paris. He suddenly knew me. My personal life, everything. He knew about the guys I went out with. He called me a whore." She said. "wow, your own stalker" he said. "and I just rushed out of there, and Chuck came out of nowhere, and stood up to him" she said. "wow again, good thing Chuck was there" Nate said, a little relieved. "I just got all upset. I wanted to leave all that behind when I got back here" she said. 'whoa, didn't Serena go through the same thing, well, not so much the same' he suddenly thought. "hey, you okay now?" he said. "I'm fine. Talking about it to you made it better, you know. Thanks a lot" she hugged him, then went upstairs. "goodnight" she said, stopping. "goodnight" he said.


	6. The Hamptons

A/N: okay, thanks for the reviews, I've been trying to make this chapter longer, but I just can't. Thank you to SamQuinnSportyBee, and Superdani a.k.a Violetfairchild for the reviews. There you go, chapter 6. And oh, by the way, I need some ideas for chapter 7. Seriously, i'm facing a blank word document in my computer. thanks a lot. Reviews and PM's about this story are very much appreciated.

Nate stood at the sidewalk, with Dylan, waiting for a cab to take them someplace. "hey, I got-" he was suddenly cut off with Chuck and Dylan, their arms around each other, laughing out loud. "what's the matter, Nate? I got to her first" Chuck grinned.

Nate's eyes shot open. 'whoa, whoa, whoa' he thought as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at himself in the mirror, then went to the bathroom. Today, Chuck would be picking them up to go to the Hamptons for the summer, just the three of them. Whoa. The three of them, for the whole summer. 'mayhem has arrived' he thought as he was taking a shower. After getting dressed, he picked up his bags and left his room. He went down the stairs to find bags on the corner. "hey, good morning, Nate" Dylan was there. "hey, good morning to you too" he said, placing his bags on the side as well. "croissant? I ran out early to get us some, since it's just us here" Dylan smiled, giving him a brown paper bag. "great, great" he said, taking it from her. "I'm all packed and ready, I want to experience something new today, or the whole summer at least" she said. "you feeling better now?" he asked, remembering what happened last night. "yeah, I am. Getting a good night's sleep actually got it off me. thanks" Dylan said. "you excited?" Nate grinned as they sat down on the couch. "definitely. Chilling out with Serena by the pool, going to the beach with you guys" she said, sitting down. "oh, oh, Chuck's here" he said, opening the door. "woot!" she said, as she stepped outside.

The limo door opened, and Chuck peeked out. "good morning" he said, moving to let Dylan and Nate go in as the chauffeur was placing their bags in the trunk. "hey" they said, sitting down. "let us now enjoy the fruits of our hard-earned labor in school. We all deserve a break, so, let this be the one. Cheers" Chuck raised his glass, as they were on their way.

"hello?" Dylan answered her phone. "hey, Dylan, how are you?" her mom was on the other line. "hi mom. I'm fine. Actually, I'm on my way to the Hamptons right now, with Nate, and Chuck" she said. "how are things with you two? Been able to catch up?" she said. "yeah, we have. We went to a party together. It's great back here" Dylan said, smiling. "glad to know, darling. Hey, I got word on your condo. It's finished, and I got an interior designer to decorate the place just in time for when you get back home. And congratulations on getting into Princeton. Do you still want to apply somewhere else?" she asked. "I was thinking Yale, but I don't know if I could still apply" she said. Nate looked at her and nodded. "where's Nate going? Put him on the phone darling" she said. Dylan gave Nate her phone. "my mom wants to talk to you" she said. Nate hesitantly got it from her. "hello, Mrs. Von Furstenburg" he said. "oh, please, Nate, call me Caroline" "Nate, long time no hear. I hear things are fine with you all these years" she said. "yeah, things have been great, shaky, but great" Nate said.

Dylan looked out on the view of the road, her arms and legs crossed. "okay, I'm done talking to Caroline, as she prefers me to call her" Nate gave Dylan her phone back. "I'll be staying at our family's house there just so you know, Nate, where do you and Dylan plan on staying?" he asked. "I'll be in my parents' house. Nate, you're welcome to stay if you want to" Dylan said. "that's okay. My mom's in the house, so, I guess it might be better if we both just spend this in our own houses" he said. "that would be great. There's of course the much awaited Vitamin Water Party coming up" Chuck said, drinking his glass of scotch. "your mom insists on letting me call her Caroline" Nate said to Dylan. "she likes you. She hasn't seen you in a while too. Not that she wants to come back here or anything" Dylan said. "you have a point" Nate said, as the limo stopped in front of a house. "this is where I go, monsieurs. I will see both of you, well, not really both of you, later" she said, as she stepped out of the limo, and went to the trunk. "I'll talk to you later, alright? take care now" Nate said, waving as Dylan went to the porch.

"ah, sis, you're here" Chuck spotted Serena sitting on the couch. "I'm surprised you got here before we did" he said, leaning on the door. "we left earlier than you did, Chuck. Eric's here too, just so you know" Serena said. "are Nate and Dylan really together? I saw this on Gossip Girl" she showed him her phone. Chuck laughed. "Nate's probably using her to cover for his being lonely this summer. I'm sure Dylan already knows about it" he said. "well, since Dylan's already here, I just thought I'd drop by her house and hang out from there. I know where she lives so, you don't have to tell me" Serena said, standing up, and getting her purse. "oh, and by the way, I heard about what happened with you and Dylan last night. I have to say, for a guy that's into boozing and womanizing so much, that's the nicest thing you've done, aside from what happened with Georgina" Serena said. "thank you for recognizing it, sis" Chuck said, as she left the house.

"hey, what happened with Nate and Dylan last night? They left pretty quickly" Jenny said, sitting down beside Dan. "well, from what Serena tells me, Dylan was out to see this guy, Julian, who appeared to be a total creep" Dan explained. "oh, that's why she was so upset" Jenny said. "yeah, good thing Chuck was there. He told him off, and he never went near them again" Dan added. "wow, Chuck Bass, saving a damsel in distress. It is amazing" Jenny said, impressed. "Nate just took her home. But, today, I believe, they're in the Hamptons" Dan said. "so, are going to meet up with Serena there or what?" Jenny asked. "I might, I don't really know. Just-just give me some time to think about it" Dan said. "you don't need to think about it. I know things aren't as alright as it was since last year. Believe me, I know" Jenny said. "okay, okay, I will. I just have to get something done, like my writing" Dan said, standing up and going to his room. "whatever you say, Dan, whatever you say" Jenny crossed her arms. Dan suddenly peeked out of his room. "shouldn't you be at Eleanor's things, doing your internship or something?" he said. Jenny's eyes widened. "oh my god! I completely forgot! They're going to kill me" she said, rushing to her room to get her stuff.

Serena knocked on the door. "oh, hello, may I help you?" the maid opened the door. "oh, hi, I'm looking for Dylan" she said. "you must be Serena, come inside" the maid stepped aside to let her in. "Serena! You're here" Dylan said, coming from the kitchen. "thank you, Marge. I'm ready, let's go shopping!" she said, getting her bag. "where's Nate?" Serena asked. "he's in his parents' house, and I think he's seeing someone here. I guess he met her in a party or something. How's Dan? Is he coming here too?" Dylan said, as they went out of the house. "no, he's still in the city. I invited him here, but it's up to him if he wants to, but I think he still hasn't let go of what happened last year. Why we broke up" Serena said as they crossed the street. "why? I thought things are fine between you two" she said. "well, I don't know if Nate told you anything about what happened between me and Dan last year. I guess we need time to think things over" she said, as they walked inside a store. "these sunglasses are cute" she said. "let me try them on" they laughed. "hey, I heard about what happened with Julian last night" Serena said. "he's a total creep. Actually, I haven't thanked Chuck for doing what he did last night. If not for him, I would probably be sitting in a corner, not talking to anyone, and I would be shaking too" she said. "well, being the devil that he is, he can still be pretty nice" Serena said.

Chuck rubbed his temples, and drank his glass of scotch. 'I don't understand her at all. She seems very complex' he thought, as he sat back, and stared at the coffee table. He raised an eyebrow at the thought. 'why the hell am I thinking about her? She's not really much to look at' he thought. 'she's not much if you count astonishingly beautiful, sexy, smart, and very fluent at the French language as not much' a familiar voice appeared in his head. 'and not to mention she even speaks Greek and Italian. Now that doesn't really count as much, do they?' the voice said in his head again. He rolled his eyes and refilled his glass, shaking his head, at the voice that had been bugging him the entire time he tried to think straight. 'I am in need of distraction. And I know just where to go' his lips formed a grin, as he stood up, and left the place.

3 Weeks later, things at the Hamptons have really been heating up. "Nate! you're here. That's the first time I've seen you here without you actually having to run off again, and meeting your special someone, I might add" Dylan teased, upon seeing Nate, lying on a beach mat, shirtless, wearing shades. "Dylan, I'm sorry, I did. She has been borrowing me a lot, since the start of our trip, when I know you promised me your full, undivided attention the morning after your thing with Chuck" Nate sat up. "ah, I remember it well. Anyway, me and Serena are having so much fun. Just the girls, bonding" Dylan smiled, setting up her mat beside him. "have you been meeting up with guys lately? Or partying or anything?" Nate asked her. "yeah, we went to a few clubs. A bunch of guys gave me their numbers, but this one seriously hot guy asked me out just yesterday" she said, removing her cover-up, revealing her black bikini, and lying down, her long legs reaching the sandcastle some kids were making in front of her. "oh, sorry" she said, noticing her toes were touching it already. Nate couldn't believe it. He couldn't help but stare at her as she was lying there. "Nate" she snapped a finger in front of him. "oh, sorry, sorry. I got caught up" he said. "perv" she playfully slapped her towel on him. "anyway, what's the name of the guy?" he asked. "Nick Burke. He goes to NYU, and he's really nice" she said. "just be careful, Dylan. He might be like that Julian" he said. "I know. Strange as it may seem, I asked him if he ever knew me at all, he just said he knows my family name, but he didn't really know I was the daughter of a Von Furstenburg" she said. "that's good. But, just in case, you might want to run him by Chuck. He's got a PI on speed dial, and I'm saying this because I am a friend, and of course, I care" Nate said. "ah, remind me to do that, as paranoid as it is. But I won't take any chances this time. Once is enough, twice is or can be careless, but three times just calls for stupidity, which is a big no-no in my book. Not that I plan on going out with a guy like Julian three times. Eww" Dylan said, taking a deep breath. "well, I'm going to go swim, care to join me?" he stood up. "if it calls for your undivided attention this time, oui, monsieur" Dylan took his hand, and they hurried to the ocean.


	7. Absolutely Everything

**A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews. This is probably one of the longest chapters in this fic. Uh, thanks again to SamQuinnSportyBee and Superdani a.k.a Violetfairchild. I don't know if some parts are alright. But review this just the same. :)**

"Nick and I ended things" Dylan said, as she saw Serena. "why? he was cute, he was a gentleman to you, you two have gone on amazing dates so far. What's wrong?" Serena said. It had already been a week, and the White Party was getting close. "well, I just don't feel it anymore" Dylan shook her head. They walked in the direction of Dylan's house at once. "aww, cheer up, D. You'll meet someone new, and I bet that by the time you do, you're going to feel it over and over again. I know I do, with Dan, speaking of which, he still isn't coming here" Serena suddenly thought. She suddenly felt hands cover her eyes. "guess who?" it said. Dylan smiled. "Dan! You're here" Serena said, turning around to kiss him. "okay, before you do that, know your audience" Dylan laughed. "hey, Dylan" Dan said, as Dylan gave a little wave. "I have no idea. I spent the entire time here, with Serena, He's been really mysterious lately" Dylan said. "isn't he seeing someone?" Serena asked. "yeah, he is. I don't even know who she is" she said. "ooh, really? alright, mind if I borrow Serena for a while?" Dan said, his arm around Serena's waist. "not at all. I'm about to go home, actually. I'll see you guys tomorrow" she said, walking ahead of them. 'they're lucky' she thought, as she crossed the street, and opened the front door.

When she was inside, she slumped on the couch. She began to look at her phone, and then dialed a number. "Chuck, it's me" Dylan said. "I'm surprised you called" he said on the other line, seated on the couch, with a glass of scotch in front of him once again. "hey, uh, I haven't gotten the chance to thank you lately, the one time that I did have the chance, I was kind of… shy" she said, hesitant on the shy part. "relax, you don't have to explain. I know you'll repay me" he said. She could tell he was grinning. "what exactly did you have in mind?" Dylan asked. "one night with you. Alone" he said. "what do you mean alone?" Dylan asked. "let me think. Dinner at your place?" he asked. "oh, right. Of course," she said. Her lips then formed into a smile. She was suddenly, amused by the idea. She liked it. "when?" she asked. "tonight. I'll come by around 7. I'd want to see you in a black dress tonight" he said, then hanging up. Dylan dropped her phone beside her. "Marge?" she looked behind. "yes, Dylan?" Marge appeared from the kitchen. "get a big bag. I'll need you to pick up a few things" she said. "yes, Dylan" and Marge went back inside the kitchen. Dylan looked out the window. 'whoa, did I just like what we're going to do tonight?' she thought. 'ugh, must shake it off. This is Chuck Bass. You're better than that. You don't fall for pigs' 'yes you do' a voice appeared in her head, and it was different. It was his voice. 'I don't go out with pigs, Dylan Madeline Von Furstenburg, you don't go out with pigs. Nick is 10 times better than Chuck Bass' 'what's the harm in trying? You went out with me once, right? if you don't like me, then why are you thinking about me?' the voice said. 'i'm not thinking about you, your voice popped in here, it's not like I had a choice or anything' 'you're right. But either way, you'd end up thinking about me, as I do with you' 'ugh! Je ne peux pas le croire!' Dylan's eyes widened. The voices in her head disappeared. "no way" she cringed.

Serena's phone suddenly rang. "help!" Dylan said. "what? Dylan, why? what's wrong?" Serena said, flustered. "argh! je ne peux pas le croire! c'est mauvais, très, très, mal!" Dylan said. "okay, okay, I don't understand what you're saying" Serena said. "I think I'm going ballistic or something. I keep on shrugging it off, but he just seems to be there. His voice sticks in my head, I'm going paranoid, and why isn't Marge here yet?!" Dylan looked out impatiently, then rubbed her temples. "who just seems to be there?" Serena asked. Dylan didn't answer. Serena's eyes widened. "no way, you like him!" she said. Dan looked confused. "I don't know. I don't know if I do, or if I don't. He just happens to be there" Dylan said, lying down on the couch, as Marge came in. "you absolutely like him! This is an obvious sign that you do. How did this happen?" Serena was grinning. "it was right after we talked. I called him up to thank him for what happened, he said his usual Chuck Bass-isms, and I asked him what can I do to show my thanks for what he did with Julian, and he said a night alone, just the two of us, and he's going to come by here by 7, and when we both hung up, I started thinking about it, and all of a sudden, one thing led to another, and there, there, there" Dylan explained. "okay, Dylan, first thing you have to do is breathe. And second, did you at least think it through before considering his request?" Serena did air-quotes. "it's not like I had a choice" Dylan said. "okay, you're beginning to sound like Blair. If you want, I'll come over right away, and pick out something for you to wear, and I'll prepare you for what you're about to experience tonight, or maybe what's going to happen the morning after, okay? I'll see you in 5" and Serena hung up.

"going somewhere tonight?" Nate said, watching Chuck get ready. "as a matter of fact, yes. I am going somewhere tonight. Somewhere special" Chuck fixed his tie. "really? where to?" Nate said, a little surprised. "Dylan's house" Chuck said. Nate's eyes widened. "why all of a sudden are you going to her house? You do know she doesn't like you as much, right?" Nate said, his brow raised in confusion. "I do. But then she called to thank me for what happened with Julian, I told her she could repay me with a date" Chuck looked at him. "don't tell me you have been trying to put the moves on Dylan for the past week" Nate said. "I didn't. Until now" Chuck grinned. "alright, you two have fun" Nate said. "how about you? You've been seeing someone for about a month now, and you don't even tell us" Chuck looked at Nate. "I'll tell you guys when it's actually the right time to tell. But, as of now, I don't" Nate said, shaking his head. "sooner or later, I will find out, you know that, right?" Chuck said. "yeah, I know. I just hope you won't be too surprised" Nate crossed his arms. "I'm sure I won't" Chuck said. "all this is making me think about Dylan. I haven't talked to her since last week" Nate said. "that's because you have been spending so much time with your girl" Chuck said. "it's not really just the girl. Family stuff, it's getting to me" Nate said. "well, then you'll need something to cheer yourself up. Your phone's ringing, must be your girlfriend" Chuck said. "yeah, it's her. I better go now, you and Dylan have fun" Nate said, leaving.

Meanwhile, Serena was at Dylan's room, staring at her closet. "I am amazed. All these clothes are from Paris" Serena said, looking at a vest. "not all are designer brands. I sometimes shop at those vintage thrift stores" Dylan grinned. "ooh, can I borrow these?" she showed Dylan the purple top. "yeah sure" Dylan nodded. "okay, now what are you going to wear? Did Chuck say anything he'd want to see you in?" she asked. "he said he wanted to see me in a black dress" Dylan replied. "ooh. It's a bit hot to wear a black dress, or just a black top with your white shorts, and these shoes" Serena opened her shoe closet. "the white Manolos. Very cool" Dylan said. "Okay, getting back to why I'm here, I still can't believe you like him" Serena said. "I'm not saying I do" Dylan said. "but you keep on thinking about him. You're thinking about him now, are you?" she said. "you brought him up!" Dylan said. "oh my god. You like him, you like him a lot" Serena said, surprised. "does it help that I'm ashamed to say it. It's Chuck Bass, you know. I can't believe I actually like a Chuck Bass. He's the type I usually avoid going out with. Or actually spending time with, for that matter" Dylan said. "does Nate know?" Serena said. "I doubt it. But I think Chuck told him himself. I just can't believe I'm stressing this much just for tonight, that I actually like the guy I'm going out with" Dylan blurted out, her eyes widened in surprise. "oh my god, it's confirmed! You do like Chuck Bass!" she said. "may I remind you that he's your step-brother" Dylan said. "so? my friend likes my step brother. You don't see that everyday" Serena said. "and you're actually in favor of this, thing that's going to happen?" Dylan looked confused. "actually, the reason why I'm in favor of this, is that you just might be what Chuck really needs" Serena said, this time, her smile faded. "uh, what?" Dylan said. "you just might be the one to be able to fix him or something. Make him a new man, or something like that. Now get dressed, and put on your makeup, Chuck's going to be here in a few minutes, and I have to go. Tell me everything that happened tomorrow, or as soon as your date ends, alright? hope you and Chuck have fun" she said, grinning, then leaving the room. Dylan fell back on the pillows, taking a deep breath. Her lips formed into a smile, as she began to imagine what was going to happen. But her smile faded, into a look of surprise, and disgust. "argh!" she said, getting off her bed and beginning to change.

She sat in the living room, drumming her fingers on the couch. The clock was ticking, and Marge had already prepared their dinner, and lit up the candelabra. The place was getting dark, the only lights in the house were from the candles on the oval dining table. "knock, knock" someone was outside. "it's early" Dylan looked at the clock on the wall, then came out to open the door. "Chuck, you're ear- Nate!" she said, as Nate was standing right outside. "hey Dylan" he said, smiling. "what are you doing here? I thought you were with your girlfriend or something" she said, stepping outside and closing the door. "we'll meet up tomorrow. Hey, I hear you and Chuck are on this date thing" he said. "he told me this was a way to repay him, so, there" Dylan said, trying not to smile. "hey, I sense something on today, I can't figure it out as much" Nate said, scrutinizing Dylan. "so, you plan on telling me who your girlfriend is?" Dylan crossed her arms. "I can't talk about it here, somewhere else. Oh, look, I'm out of time, I just came by to wish you a good luck" he kissed her on the cheek. "thanks a lot Archibald" Dylan said, as he began to walk in the opposite direction. She smiled to herself, as she saw Nate walk off. She stepped back inside the house, only to hear that there was a knock on the door again. 'it's Chuck' she thought, as she turned around to open the door.

"I was actually, more like you, back in Paris" she said, later on during their dinner. "I can't say I'm surprised. Guys give you their numbers all of a sudden, or even ask for yours" Chuck said. Dylan put down her fork. "I'm surprised, you listened to me" she said, wiping her lips with the table napkin. "it's not like I didn't try" Chuck said. "oh, right" Dylan said. "dessert, for the both of you" Marge came in, bringing crème brulee. "you know, not every guy did what you just did for me" Dylan said quietly. Chuck looked at her. He could suddenly feel her letting her guard down on him. "I'm sorry how I was towards you before. I just met you and all, and it could've ruined our friendship, if you'd call it that" Dylan said. Chuck put down his spoon. "most people tend to be like that around me. I'm used to it, so you don't have to apologize. But, ever since the night we went out, the way we left things, it seemed to… stick to my mind" Chuck said. Dylan looked down at the empty plate in front of her. 'oh my' she suddenly thought. She shook her head, then looked at him, and took a deep breath. "the way we said goodnight to each other, played like a video in my head" he said. "really?" Dylan asked. "yes. I've been thinking about you since the moment we met" he said. Dylan noticed him. He was serious. She couldn't speak. She was a bit taken aback by what he had said. "all of a sudden, I'm finding it hard to tell if you're serious about what you just said" she said. Chuck stood up, and so did she. "I am" Chuck's voice lowered. "I just don't know" Dylan said. Chuck came closer. "if I do this, then maybe you'll find out that I am" and he kissed her. 'whoa! Whoa! Whoa!' she suddenly thought. But then all logic was pushed out of the way, as she simply melted in his kiss. The feel of his lips against hers was electric. As he pulled away, he looked at her. "you didn't pull away" he said, like it wasn't a big deal. Dylan didn't say anything. She was speechless. "I didn't" she muttered, then he kissed her again.

Serena's eyes widened. "oh my god! You actually enjoyed it, didn't you?" she said. "argh, I knew you were going to say that" Dylan said. "so, did you like it?" she asked. Dylan just looked at her. "blink consecutively for yes, blink once for no, and don't blink at all, if you really don't know if you did or didn't" she said. Dylan just looked at her, then started to blink consecutively. "oh my god!" Serena said loudly. "he's a good kisser, what else was I supposed to think. All logic and critical thinking in my head was suddenly removed by the time he did" she said. "you're blushing" Serena noticed her turn a little pink. "why the hell is that guy such a good kisser?! I blame myself" she said. "aww, come on, if I was a guy, I'd date you" Serena said. "okay, then right now, I wish you were" Dylan laughed, hitting her with a cushion. "so, after you two kissed, that was when he said goodnight?" Serena asked. Dylan didn't say anything. "not really. One thing led to another, and before I, actually knew it, we were doing, more than that" she said. "ooh, too much, too much. And you're referring to Chuck Bass here. Never mind, I already know what you two did" she said. "we didn't get to that part. A hardcore makeout session is the correct answer" Dylan said. "ooh, then I'm not surprised. You've fallen under his spell. Okay, I have to go meet Dan, and I just have to say, if ever, this works out, by some miracle, Chuck starts getting serious about the girls in his life, I'd be very impressed and a little surprised" she said, then hugging her before she left. "toodles" she said, opening the door.

Nate gave Chuck a look. "you look like you had a good time last night" he said, sitting down. "I did. Nothing happened" Chuck said. "yeah right" Nate raised a brow. "well, nothing else happened" Chuck said. "what else happened?" Nate asked. "Dylan's the type of girl that when I, try to kiss her, she'd pull away immediately," Chuck grinned. "okay, I think I know what you mean" Nate said. "but then last night, she didn't" he said, drinking scotch. "oh, oh" Nate was a little surprised. "I have to say, the way she was last night, it's all I could think about today" Chuck said, finishing his glass and refilling it. "hey, I have to take off, go to Dylan's house, and hang out" Nate said, standing up, and leaving.


	8. Nate at the door

**A/N: thanks again for the reviews. Uh, you will now see Dylan and Chuck's conversation in straight French later. That's just them talking about what they'll do, or plan to do for the rest of the summer. Thanks to SamQuinnSportyBee for the tips on channeling Chuck Bass and his Bass-ness :)) Just read and review still. please. this is another one of the long chapters, with Nate and Dylan's longest conversation so far. But if you still want to know what those mean, just review this chapter with what you think [of course] and the question. I'll reply with the meanings. thanks a lot. :D **

"Marge! The door" Dylan said from upstairs. "alright, Dylan" Marge hurried to the front door. As soon as she opened it, Nate was standing outside. "hi Marge, long time no see" Nate smiled. "Dylan! Nate is here!" she shouted upstairs. "good to see you again, Nate. How are the parents?" she asked. "uh, they're fine, alright, my dad's still there somewhere, my mom's at my house here" Nate said, sitting down. "that's good. We just arrived from Paris, so it's a bit disorienting for us" Marge laughed, then going to the kitchen. "okay, okay, I'm here" Dylan rushed down the stairs, in a denim miniskirt, and black converse. "I know you had a great time last night" Nate was grinning as she sat down beside him on the couch. "I did. But we didn't actually have sex or anything. We just made out. Here." Dylan said. "ah, yes, second base. It's a little surprising to know you guys didn't have sex" Nate said. "oh my god, why am I talking about sex with you?" Dylan cringed. "so what? we're friends, we can talk to each other about anything, and everything, under the sun, just not those problems regarding medical stuff" Nate cringed at the thought. "yeah, okay, except that" Dylan laughed. "but we don't spend that much time together anymore, even though I agreed to let you have my undivided attention, and now I am, so, are we up for a walk in the park or something?" Dylan asked. "okay, speaking about anything and everything, I will now tell you about the girl that I've been seeing for about a while" Nate said, taking a deep breath. "who is she? I mean, can you please expound?" Dylan rephrased. "wow, this is so far the longest I've talked to you without you blurting French words" Nate said, amazed. "hey, I've talked to you, two weeks ago, without me blurting a single French word, or phrase" Dylan protested. Nate gave her a look. "okay, fine. I'm still kind of getting used to saying things in straight English, but I'm practically okay" Dylan laughed. "you got tan too. It looks good on you" Nate noticed the subtle change in her skin tone. "I went to the beach yesterday, Nate" Dylan said. "oh, right, sorry" Nate said, looking down on the floor. "what's on your mind? You usually seem to notice the thing I did to my hair, or what I'm wearing. Yesterday I had my hair in a messy bun. What's up?" Dylan said. "okay, okay, I'm sorry, I've been so absent-minded lately. It's just because I found out today from my mom that all our accounts are frozen, and Chuck's lending us money. And the fact that my dad's in rehab doesn't really help me, you know" Nate said, exhaling sharply. "and the girl I'm seeing dumped me last night" Nate added. "whoa, I'm sorry" Dylan gave him a hug. As soon as she wanted to let go, Nate wouldn't let her. "uh, Nate, you can let go now" Dylan cleared her throat. "oh, oh, sorry. It's nice to have a friend around here. Especially now, you're back" Nate said. "it's nice seeing you again. But this isn't like we just saw each other again, that was a month ago" Dylan nodded. "you want to go for that walk now?" she asked, standing up. "yeah, of course" Nate said, and they walked out the door.

"you feel better now?" Dylan asked him. "kind of. Thanks" he said, smiling. "no problem. That's what I'm here for" she said, placing an arm around his shoulder. "so, you and Chuck made out huh?" he laughed. "yeah, we did. He's a good kisser, I must say" Dylan looked impressed. "and I have to tell you something. Something I suddenly realized before the kissing, or even the date. I just realized it the morning of the date. Or the afternoon of it, exactly" she said, as they walked down the street. "which was?" Nate asked, grinning. "oh, you know what? never mind. I'm uncomfortable telling you this since you know Chuck better than anyone I've met so far" Dylan shook her head. "oh, come on, please. Try me" he smiled. Dylan still didn't say anything. "you like him!" Nate's eyes widened. "and I'm ashamed to say it. Yes, I do like him" Dylan said out loud. "oh wow. I never thought you, of all people would actually like him" Nate looked nonplussed. "I was thinking about the date, and what I was going to do for it, and he suddenly pops in my head, and his voice sticks there. And last night, I felt nauseous. I thought maybe it was because of my sheer loathing for the guy that I actually ended up liking him, or something, but it's not. And I'm finding it hard to trust him from the things he said to me last night" Dylan said. "what did he say?" Nate asked. "he said, the way we said goodnight to each other the night we went out. the night which I came back from Paris, he still couldn't get it out of his head. And he also said that from the moment we met, he couldn't stop thinking about me" Dylan explained. "whoa. He said that?" Nate said. Dylan nodded. "well, he did act weird after meeting you, weird towards you, but he's the same when he's around other girls" Nate said. "anyway, that's not so important. Serena's actually in favor of this thing. She was surprisingly happy when I told her all this" she said. "you didn't tell me first?" Nate raised a brow. "don't go all jealous best friend on me. You were with Chuck. He would've told you anyway" Dylan argued back. "okay, that's not important. What's important is, you like Chuck!" he teased as they crossed the street.

As Dylan got back from her walk with Nate, a limo suddenly appeared behind her. "Dylan, Dylan, Dylan" she heard Chuck. She turned around. "Chuck" she said. "care to join me for lunch today?" he asked. The image of them making out on the couch last night suddenly appeared in her head. "okay" Dylan said, and Chuck came out of the limo, standing aside for her to get in. "Chuck, uh, about last night, I still don't know if you meant what you said to me last night" Dylan said. "I did" Chuck faced her. "I don't want to get into anything, unless what happened last night changed it" Dylan said. "it changed it for me too. I don't want to experience again what happened last year" Chuck looked down, and held her hand. "I know what happened last year" Dylan let go, looked out the window and crossed her arms. "exactement que dois-je faire pour vous passer ?" Chuck said. "prove to me that what you said last night was true" Dylan looked back at him. "we'll talk about this later" Chuck said, as they got out of the limo.

"hey sis" Chuck said, coming in. "Chuck. Dylan! You're here! hey, this is my brother, Eric. Eric, this is my friend Dylan" Serena introduced them. "I've heard so much about you" Dylan smiled. "you too. We're with our grandmother, actually. Hey grandma" Eric said, as Cece came in. "oh, hello Chuck, who is this beautiful young lady that I see in front of me?" she said. "this is Dylan Von Furstenburg, a friend of ours" Chuck said, referring to Serena, and introducing them. "nice to meet you, Dylan" Cece said, smiling at her. "let's go outside, lunch is ready" she said, leading them out to the patio. Chuck moved the chair, letting Dylan sit down first. "thanks" she said, taking the napkin and placing it on her lap. "uh, grandma, Dylan is Nate's childhood friend. You know Nate, right?" Serena said. "of course, of course, the handsome one" Cece said. "speaking of Nate, is he coming here?" Serena asked. "no, he's not" Chuck said. "Dylan, you are a Von Furstenburg, right? I knew your grandmother well. It's a bit sad she passed away last year" Cece said, cutting into the salmon. Dylan just smiled. "small world" Serena said, smiling. "very" Dylan laughed. "you seem awfully quiet" Eric noticed Chuck eating quietly. "forgive me for not engaging in the conversation. I have a lot on my mind" Chuck said. "please pass the pepper" Dylan looked at him. "of course" Chuck passed it to her. Dylan's phone suddenly rang. "oh, excuse me, it's my mom calling" she got up and went out into the yard. Chuck stared at her as she got up. He could tell she was in doubt, but she didn't want to show it. Serena looked at Chuck. She knew something was wrong between the two of them. "may I be excused? I think I just lost my appetite" Chuck stood up as well, and followed Dylan.

"ma, yes, I'm fine here" Dylan said. "alright, just tell me, when you and dad will be arriving, okay? Yes, I will wear that white dress to the white Party tonight. Bye mom" and Dylan put her phone in her pocket. She turned around and saw Chuck, standing there. "Chuck" she said. "je ne suis pas qui vous croyez que je suis" he said, coming closer to her. "êtes-vous sûrs ?" Dylan asked. "oui. si je dois aller à Paris vous convaincre, je. I couldn't eat nor sleep, I feel sick like there's something in my stomach, my heart beats fast" he said, holding her hand. "then kiss me" she said, and he took her in his arms, and kissed her. "hey, Dylan, you do- oh" Serena stopped in her tracks, once she saw Chuck and Dylan kissing. She suddenly smiled to herself, then went back to the table.

Serena and Dylan walked down the street right after lunch. "how was the lip-locking with Chuck earlier?" Serena said. "you saw that?" Dylan said, as they were headed to Dylan's house. "yeah. I was about to ask if you're going to the White Party later. I'm coming with Dan" she said, as they crossed the street, revealing the suburban part of the Hamptons. While they were talking, without a warning, they both fell on the ground. "oh my god!" Dylan said, getting up, and fixing herself. "NATE?!" Dylan and Serena both said, as Nate was standing up, and running away, in his boxers. "what the heck?" Dylan said, looking to where he came from. It was a woman, most probably in her early thirties, and the man who she was kissing was most likely her husband. "oh, I'm guessing we already know who Nate's seeing" Serena said. "oh yes, we already know" Dylan said, taken aback by what she saw.

"good thing I brought my clothes with me here" Serena said, coming inside the house. "it's just me and the maid here" Dylan said, opening the door of her room, and the doors of her walk in closet. "your closet just never ceases to amaze me. All these came from Paris" Serena said, amazed, while Dylan checked in her other closet, for a dress. "is this fine?" Dylan pulled out her white mini dress. "of course. I bet Chuck will like that" Serena said, laying her clothes on the bed. "I don't even know what we are. Are we a couple? Are we just casually dating each other? Are we friends with benefits? Chuck's left me clueless" Dylan sat back. "friends with benefits? I don't think you and Chuck were ever friends to begin with" Serena said. "so did I" Dylan laughed. "what about Nate?" Serena said. "I don't know. You know what we should talk to him about this" Dylan said. Marge suddenly appeared on the doorway. "Nate is here" she said. "speaking of the devilish" Dylan looked at Serena. "give him a drink or something, we'll just dress up, but wait, is he already wearing white?" Dylan asked. "yes he is. He's grown to be a handsome man. I remember when these two were kids, they used to play together in the sandbox at Central Park" Marge looked at Dylan, while Serena laughed. "Marge! Just give Nate something to drink, or eat or whatever" Dylan laughed, pushing Marge to the door. "aww, Dylan" Serena teased.

They came down minutes later, seeing Nate seated on the couch, his arms crossed. "Nate! Sorry we took so long" Dylan said, hurrying down the stairs, and sat down beside him. "it's fine, I came by, and I guessed you two would be here. It starts in a few minutes" Nate said, looking at the clock. "okay, you have got some explaining to do" Dylan said. "okay, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you" Nate said. "you?" Serena's brow was raised. "okay, all of you, even Chuck" Nate said. "speaking of which, how was the kissing over lunch today?" he turned to Dylan, and Serena laughed. "you didn't tell me?" he said with sarcasm. "hey, I was going to" Dylan said. "don't try to change the subject, Archibald, explain" Dylan added, playfully slapping him on the arm. "okay, her name's Katherine, and fine, she was older" he explained. "older? We thought when you mean older, we meant college or college senior, but this one's married!" Serena said. "cougar alert" Dylan joked, while Nate playfully punched her on the arm. "but I think it's safe to say she ended things with me, for good this time" Nate said, looking down. "that's good" Dylan said, then exchanged looks with Serena then turned back to Nate. "hey, I know that look. That's a guilty look. You really do have a thing for Katherine" Dylan said. "Nate, she's not really worth it, no offense" Serena said. "I guess. I just want to go there already" he said, burying his face in his hands. "fine, fine, we believe you" Dylan said. " "and since Dan's coming with you, do you mind if I told the people at the party that I'm your date if it's okay with you and Chuck?" he looked at Dylan. "why of course! Chuck didn't ask me anyway" Dylan smiled. "then what are we waiting for, let us go, and party, and check out the competition" Nate stood up, pulling Dylan off her seat, and out the door.

They had arrived right on time, greeting guests and other familiar people in white as well. "you okay?" Dylan asked Nate. The woman passed by them, while Dylan had said hello to one guest, while her arm was draped on Nate's. "trying to ruin my marriage?" she whispered, then walked casually to the other guests. "what?" Dylan looked at him. "get me drunk. Please" he said. "sure, sure" Dylan led him to the bar. "what's wrong with Nate?" Chuck appeared while Nate was drinking. "it's Katherine" Dylan mouthed. "ah yes. Katherine. Nate, would you mind if I borrow Dylan for a while?" he said. "not at all. But just please, Dylan, come back" Nate looked at her. "sure, I will" Dylan nodded, then went to Chuck.

"what's up?" Dylan asked him. "comment allez-vous ?" he asked. "je suis parfait" she replied. "écoutez, j'ai pensé, de nous, beaucoup dernièrement," he said. "et ?" "comment de quand nous rentrons dans la ville, nous pouvons passer le reste de l'été, juste nous et probablement avec Nate et Serena autour de" he looked at her. "Cela semble bon. Je me retirerai à mon immeuble en copropriété quand nous revenons" she said, smiling at him. "alors peut-être que nous pouvons passer le reste de l'été après tout seul " she added. Chuck grinned, his arm around her waist. "c'est exactement que j'ai eu en vue. Je l'aime quand vous le dites" he whispered in her ear. It sent chills up her spine. "nous déchirons en haut pour maintenant, Nate a besoin de moi puisque je suis sa date, mais j'irai faire à bientôt" she said, as she kissed him on the cheek, then went back to the bar, where Nate was. "toujours un plaisir" Chuck muttered, watching Dylan go back to Nate. He looked her up and down, and shook his head.

From afar, Nate watched Chuck and Dylan separate, Dylan on her way towards him. "hey, I'm feeling a little better" he said, putting down the glass. "are you really?" Dylan asked. "nope" Nate shook his head. "come on, get up, let's go around, and check out the scene. It's a party, and besides, there's a lot of girls in here, and I don't mean just me and Serena" she said, holding out her hand. "you sure?" he said. "yeah. Go around. Socialize. Mingle" she said. Nate suddenly smiled, then took her hand and they walked to the party. "there you go. That's the Nate I'm with today" she said. "the only thing so far that cheered me up is you being here, with me" he said. "why thanks, Archibald" she smiled widely. "what are you still doing here?" Katherine whispered, passing by again. "what did she say?" Dylan looked at Katherine, whose arm was on her husband's, with one martini on the other. "you know, I just wish I could make her feel as bad as I feel right now" he groaned, looking at Katherine at a distance. "you can" Dylan grinned at him. "oh yeah? exactly how-" and Dylan kissed him. At the far corner, Chuck saw the scene, and rushed over at once. "there. Better?" she giggled. Nate began to laugh. "oh, hi Chuck. I was just trying to make Katherine look jealous" she said. "bien, vous me rendez jaloux aussi" he whispered. "ne soyez pas bien, vous venez ce soir, n'est ce pas ?" she grinned. Chuck just smiled. "I'm leaving tomorrow, you're both welcome to join me" he said. "alright. I'll just go to your house then, I'll be meeting up with Serena anyway" Dylan said.

They returned to New York the next day, only for Nate and Dylan to experience a rude awakening as they got home. "okay, everything's gone" they stood there, looking at the empty house, save for a few items, which happened to be Nate's. "they caught up to my dad after all. I can't believe it" Nate said, nonplussed. Dylan couldn't say anything. "your things are probably still intact, I doubt mine still are" he said. "well, you pack, while I also do the same thing. For letting me stay here, even for a short time, you can move in with me. I'm sure my mom would understand" Dylan said. "no, it's too much, I can't accept that" Nate shook his head. "it's the least I can do. It's okay, Nate" Dylan assured him. "it's okay, it's fine" she said, looking at him. Her phone suddenly rang. There was a message from Chuck. "mon endroit. Minuit" it said. She then looked at Nate, and put her phone back in her pocket. "come on, let's go pack" she said.


	9. I Believe In A Thing Called Chuck

**A/N: Once again, thanks to SamQuinnSportyBee for the reviews. [thanks BASSchee] and here's Chapter 9. Once again, please, please, please review :D**

Dylan and Nate had arrived at the building. "welcome back, Ms. Von Furstenburg, where's Marge?" the concierge asked. "uh, she's still at the Hamptons house, but she'll follow. Thanks, Ted" she said. "uh, this is Nate Archibald, he'll be staying with me, so let him in when he's here" she said. "understood, Ms. Von Furstenburg" Ted said, as the elevator doors closed. "I'm sorry about what happened when we got there" she said. "no, no, you don't need to apologize. I should've known they're onto him" Nate shook his head. They stepped out of the elevator revealing the living room of Dylan's condo. "it's not much, but you'll be staying in the guest room" Dylan said, as they put their bags down. "no, no, this is fine. Thanks for letting me stay" Nate said. "it's what friends do. You're my friend, and I love you" she said. "you and Chuck speak French a lot these days" Nate said to her. "well, he kind of prefers to speak to me in that language. I don't really know why, at least I talk to you straight on, right?" Dylan smiled. "well, you do have a point. I still can't believe you're going out with Chuck. I mean, I didn't know you had a thing for guys, like him" Nate said, bringing his bags in one room. "I know. Me too. I'm a little surprised at myself. I thought I could never have a thing for those kinds of guys, but then again, it happens. Sparks fly, and there you go" Dylan said.

The elevator doors opened, and Marge came in, with her bags as well. "welcome home, Marge" Dylan said. "hi Marge" Nate waved. "ah, Nate! You're staying here too?" she asked. "he is, he is. It's a long story" Dylan said. "I remember the day that Nate came to our house before. You two were four, and then you instantly became best friends, you play together in the sandbox, very cute" Marge looked at both of them. Nate and Dylan laughed. "oh yeah, ah, the good old days, when I didn't leave for Paris" she said. "and I vividly remember, we used to play in the park, even if it rained, we shared this little yellow umbrella, while we jumped on the puddles on the street" Nate said. "you still remember that?" Dylan said. "yeah. That's one of my favorite memories of us when we were kids" Nate said. "okay, after settling in, I shall make you two dinner, okay?" Marge said, smiling widely at both of them, then headed off to the kitchen. "she seems to remember a lot of what we did when we were kids, huh?" Nate said. "yeah, she tells me a lot about it when we were in Paris" Dylan said, sitting down in front of him. "wow, we did used to have fun when we were kids, huh? I mean, it was simpler back then" Nate said. "back when we were five? Nate, when we were five, we jumped on puddles in the street, we flew kites in the park, and our lives were less complicated back then" she said. "oh yeah. Then again, going back to the thing where I said, it was a simpler time" Nate argued.

Nate stood in his room. The artfully made guestroom, that was his, probably permanently. He put his clothes in the drawer, his shoes in one side, and collapsed on the bed. Dylan left to meet up with Serena, then with Chuck later on, so he knew it was just him and Marge in the apartment. "does Nate want anything to eat or drink?" Marge knocked on the door. "uh, no thanks, Marge, I'm not hungry" he said, staring at the ceiling. The night sky was full of stars, and he could not have it any other way. He started to think about when he was a kid, and he used to play with Dylan all the time, at Central Park. He smiled to himself, his arms behind his head. He loved those memories of his. When it rained, they shared a small yellow umbrella, and jumped on puddles together, sometimes, they'd jump on the same puddle, water splashing on their clothes, their parents were friends, perhaps one of the Archibalds' oldest friends aside from Blair and Chuck's parents. His thoughts now wandered to what happened when Dylan had arrived from Paris, and he had come to meet her. It felt like a sigh of relief, when she came back. It felt… familiar again. It was like he had a "best friend" best friend again, someone who he could talk to, and could listen to him. Someone who cheered him up, and that was that. He knew Chuck made her happy, to say the least. Chuck made her feel admired, and he had to think about it, alive. He stepped out of the room that night, the lights in the living room still on. "Marge?" he said, seeing her in the kitchen. "yes, Nate?" she asked. "can I ask you something?" "sure, go ahead" "is it possible for someone to fall in love with someone and not even know it?" he asked.

Serena's phone began to ring. "hey Nate," she said. "is Dylan there?" he asked, sitting down on the couch. "no, she's with Chuck at his suite, why?" she asked. "nothing, nothing. Hey, can I ask you something?" he said. "go ahead" Serena nodded. "is it possible for someone to fall in love with someone and not even know it?" he asked. "okay, Nate, why the sudden sentimental question?" she said, her brow raised. "nothing, nothing, I'm just asking that's all" he said. "it's you, isn't it? Who are you in love with?" she said, fixing things on the table. "nobody. It's not me. I'm just curious" Nate said, rolling his eyes. "whatever you say, Nate. But I should tell you, that it is. Love's surprising like that. It comes when you don't expect it to, it's just there" Serena said. "okay, okay, thanks a lot Serena" and Nate put down the phone. "he is one very tortured guy" she said, shaking her head, while fixing some more stuff on her table. It was just then that she realized who it was.

Dylan was at Chuck's suite later that night. Dylan was lying down, while Chuck was on top of her, stroking her cheek, and kissing her. It wasn't really a time for them to talk, as they were both preoccupied. "I think I may have underestimated you, Dylan Von Furstenburg" he said, as Dylan shifted on top of him this time, removing her shirt, revealing her black bra. "I think you just did" she said, kissing him. Her phone suddenly rang. "you can ignore that. That's probably Nate calling" Chuck said, kissing her neck. "I can't. It's probably my mom" Dylan got off him, and picked up her phone on the table. "oh look it is my mom" she said, coming to the bed, and giving him a peck on the lips. "hi mom" she said. "how are you, Dylan darling?" she said. "I'm fine, absolutely fine" she said, while Chuck started to kiss her on her shoulder, upwards to her neck. "that's great. How is Nate? Is he alright in there with you?" she asked. "Nate's fine, and actually I'm not at home right now" she said, with slight hesitance. "then where are you?" she asked. "I'm at a friend's suite right now" she said. "okay, okay, I'll be calling you from time to time, I'll see you darling" she said, and Dylan put down her phone. "now, where were we?" he said, grinning. "ah, I think I know" and Dylan pushed him down on the bed.

Nate came out of the room, in his sleepwear, the next morning. "good morning, Nate, how did you sleep?" Marge asked him, bringing in the breakfast trolley, with trays on top and underneath it. "like a baby, actually, thanks Marge" he said. "why did you ask me that question last night?" she asked. "oh, that. Nothing, nothing, I was just curious" Nate shook his head, suddenly remembering what happened last night, while he was reflecting in his room. "oh, does this have to do with a certain person that you know?" she said. "no, no, I was just asking" Nate said. "if that girl knew you liked her, then I'm sure she'll change her mind towards the other guy" she suddenly said. "I told you it's not me" he said. "whatever you say, Nate, whatever you say" she said, placing the other tray on the table. The elevator doors opened, and Dylan came out. "where were you last night?" Nate asked, as she gave Marge her coat, and bag. "and a good morning to you too, Nate" she said, sitting down in front of him. "I was at Chuck's. You know, I think he's really serious about this. About us" Dylan said, pouring coffee on the cup. "really? he's not much the type to take relationships seriously, if you know what I mean" he said. "well, yeah, from what you and Serena told me" Dylan said, drinking it. "you two had sex, huh?" he said. Dylan suddenly swallowed hot coffee. "how did you know?" she asked. "do you have any idea who you're going out with? It's Chuck Bass" he said. "oh well. It was amazing though" she said, dreamily. "so, what are you going to do today?" she asked him. "me? I think I'll go around for a walk" he said. "I'll come with you. It's about time we had another best friend bonding thing. But do you mind if Serena comes along?" she said. "no, not at all" Nate shook his head, smiling as she stood up. "great. I'll just shower" she said, going to her room.

"so, what happened yesterday?" Serena said. "a lot, sis" Chuck said, drinking his glass of scotch. "nothing happened since the three of you got back from the Hamptons?" she asked, sitting on the counter. "nothing. Else" he said. "so, what did you do last night when you came back?" she asked. "I hate to brag, but Dylan came over to my suite last night" he said. Serena looked at him. "okay, I don't want to know what happened anymore" she said, backing off. "what's wrong, sis? Humphrey-dumpty not available these days?" he asked. "don't change the subject, Chuck. Look, I'm going to meet up with Dylan, I'll see you later, but don't think I'm counting on it" she got off the counter, and grabbed her purse.

"I knew it was you" Serena said to Nate as they were going back to the apartment later that day. "what? I just said last night it wasn't me" Nate said. "don't deny. I know it's you. Who are you in love with?" she asked. "Katherine, okay? I'm in love with Katherine" he said. Serena gave him a look. "I know it's not her, Nate. I think you know exactly who I'm talking about" she said. Nate returned the look she gave him. "Dylan? Please" he scoffed, as they crossed the street. "you totally like her. I haven't seen you smile so wide these days. Whenever she's around you, you sort of light up" Serena said. Nate couldn't say anything. "so you do like her" she said. "no! I mean, I like her in a sisterly way. I told you, she's like my sister" he said. "there you go you just said you like her" Serena said. "you're twisting my words here" Nate laughed. "ah, good day, Mr. Archibald" Ted said to him. "hey Ted" Nate waved, and they stepped inside the elevator. "you so completely like her. You always have" she said. "can we stop that now? please, I don't want to talk about that anymore" Nate said, leaning on the side. "okay, okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I knew you would be so sensitive right now, because you like Dylan" she teased again. The elevator opened up, and they saw Dylan standing in front of them. "hey!" Serena said, then looking at Nate. "hey guys, I was just going out to meet up with you and Nate, but, you're already here" she said, going back to the living room, Serena and Nate nudging each other behind her. "good thing this place is air conditioned" Nate stretched his arms, as they sat down on the couch. "yeah. It's hot outside, and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time here, thanks D" Serena said. "ah, Serena is here" Marge appeared. "hi Marge" they all said. "shall I make you all something to eat?" she asked. "you two hungry?" Dylan looked at both of them. "yeah, I'm starving" Nate said. "yes please" Dylan looked at Marge. Her phone suddenly rang. "hey, I'll just uh, take this call" she said, going to one side.

Serena looked at Nate. "why can't you admit it? You're in love with her" she whispered, tilting her head in Dylan's direction. "no I am not!" he said. "would you just stop denying it?!" she said. They sat there, bickering quietly, while Dylan was in a room, taking a call. "you know, I won't be surprised if you finally admit that you do like her" she said. "I will definitely be surprised if I end up liking her" Nate sat back, shooting Serena a look. "what did I miss?" Dylan came back. "nothing, Nate just has a problem" Serena said. "like a love problem?" Dylan asked, trying not to laugh, upon seeing Nate's expression. "yeah. Totally a love problem" Serena said. "okay, walk me through it" Dylan looked at her and Nate. "while you and Chuck were doing something last night, he called me up, and asked me something" she said, grinning. Nate groaned, then buried his face in his hands. "is it possible for someone to fall in love with someone and not even know it?" Serena asked. "love's surprising like that. It's just there" Dylan said. "that's exactly what I said" she looked at Nate. "you're in love with someone?" Dylan turned to Nate this time. "I'm in love with Katherine, okay?" he said. "yeah right. You haven't talked about her since we got back here" Dylan said. "it is her! I can't stop thinking about her" he said. Serena and Dylan gave him a look. "whatever Nate, can't you tell us who she is?" Dylan grabbed him by his wrists. Serena suddenly smiled. "what?" Dylan asked. "nothing, nothing. I just thought of something" Serena shook her head, trying not to let anything slip. "who called you earlier?" Nate asked. "my mom. They're arriving in a few days, and they want to wish me a good luck on my first day of school" she said. "wait, you'll be studying in Constance now?" Serena said. "yeah, my mom talked to the Headmistress, and apparently, they're happy to have me here, to finish my senior year" Dylan said. "and you have your uniform and everything?" Serena asked. "yeah. Already part of my closet" Dylan said. "but what about Princeton?" Nate asked. "I got in early admission for next school year, so I don't have to go all school crazy with the rest of my fellow senior classmates" Dylan said. "that's great!" Nate smiled. Serena looked at both of them. "we can hang out together now!" she said. "let's break out the bubbly then!" Dylan stood up, as the three of them went to the kitchen.


	10. I Fell In Love With My Best Friend

**A/N: thanks again to SamQuinnSportyBee for the encouragement, and the song [yehess BASSchee :))] here's Chapter 10. You're going to see a different side to Chuck Bass in this one. I got inspired by the songs "White Lines and Red Lights" by Between the Trees, and "Change Your Mind" by Boyce Avenue haha. Read and Review Please :D**

"good morning Nate" Marge said, coming in the dining room. "good morning, Marge" he said, eating breakfast. "where's Dylan?" he asked. "she's getting ready" Marge said. Dylan came down. "good morning, everyone" she said, sitting down. "good morning to you too. Looks like someone had a good night's sleep" Nate said, as she drank her coffee. "I did. I'm kind of excited and nervous at the same time" Dylan said, spreading cream cheese on her bagel. "how are things with Chuck? I haven't heard a word about him since yesterday" Nate said. "I don't know, actually. We haven't talked" Dylan said. "oh. It's getting awkward or something?" he asked. "I don't know. I hope it's not. I liked him. A lot" she said. "I know you do" he said. They ate breakfast quietly, until they stepped in the elevator, going down to the lobby.

Serena and Dan saw them walking down the street. "seriously? Nate likes Dylan?" he said. "yes! He does. He doesn't want to admit it" Serena said. "well, they do seem like a great couple. But doesn't Dylan like Chuck?" he said. "yes, she does. But I want her and Nate to be together so bad" Serena said, giving Dan a pained look. "just look at them, look" Serena tilted Dan's head to their direction. "I find it hard to believe that Dylan hasn't realized that yet. She doesn't know how Nate feels about her" she said. "we shouldn't get ourselves mixed up in what could actually become the reason why they're not friends in the very near future" Dan said, taking a step back. "fine, but we should say hi to them at least, welcome Dylan to Constance" Serena pulled him back. "I think Nate already did it for you" Dan said, as Dylan and Nate were getting closer. "Dylan! Nate! Good morning to both of you" Serena said. They could hear whispers in the crowd of students. "hey!" they both said. "and welcome to Constance" Serena said. "thank you" Dylan said.

"oh, who's the new girl?" Penny asked Nellie and Kati on the steps later that day. "I checked, and her name's Dylan Von Furstenburg" Nellie said. "she studied in Paris for 12 years. Her family's close with the Archibalds'. That's why she and Nate are so close" Nellie said. "and she's got in early admission to Princeton, and in her SAT's, she scored 2300" she added. "oh my, get this, she's dating Chuck Bass" Kati said, looking at Gossip Girl. "her and Chuck Bass? No way, she's a Von Furstenburg" Penny said, in disbelief. "look who it is now. She hangs out with Serena and Humphrey" Kati said. "and they're here now" Nellie said. "hey guys, I'd like you to meet Dylan-" "Von Furstenburg, yes, I know" Penny said, as Dylan simply waved. "oh, wow that's a surprise" Dylan said. "clearly" Penny snorted. "is that this season's Marc Jacobs?" Kati noticed Dylan's bag. "yes, it is. My mom's a friend of his" Dylan nodded. The three of them whispered to themselves. "for a newbie, you don't seem to act all nervous around us" Penny said. "I was born here, and I arrived a few months ago" she said. "you want to go get some frozen yogurt? Nate's already there" Serena said. "oh, alright, sure, it was nice meeting you guys" Dylan said, as she followed Serena and Dan down the steps.

"how was your first day so far?" Dan asked her. "it was smooth. I didn't expect to adjust that quickly around here" Dylan said. "hey, I just got the Psycho dvd. Want to go to my place later and check it out?" Dylan said. "it's a school night" Dan said. "so? you can see where we live" Dylan said, referring to her and Nate. "you two live together?" Dan looked at Nate. "yeah. I'm a lodger" Nate smiled. "I think I'm starting to see why you want them to be together so much" Dan whispered to Serena. "uh, sorry?" Nate asked. "nothing, nothing, I just said, I can see why you two are, you know, uh, um, together so much" he said. "oh, okay?" Dylan looked confused. Serena laughed. "how are things with Chuck?" Dan asked. Serena looked at him and shook her head. "I mean, if it's alright to ask" he said, clearing his throat. "we're not talking right now. I'm actually clueless on why we're like that these days" she said. "he is acting weird these days. But if it helps, he hasn't brought a single girl in the house yesterday" Serena said. "wow, it looks like he's pretty serious about you" Dan said, surprised as well. "I'm actually surprised myself" Serena said, suddenly remembering what she said. Serena looked at Nate, who somehow looked a little taken aback by what she said. "moving on, Alfred Hitchcock makes the best suspense movies" Dan said, changing the subject. "he teamed up with Bernard Hermann, the one who made the whistling sound in Kill Bill, and he composed that scary shower scene theme" Dylan said, shaking her head as if to take her mind off Chuck.

Serena saw Chuck seated on the couch that night, as she was about to leave. "I'm going to Dylan's" she said. Chuck said nothing. "I'm surprised you didn't bring in a single girl yesterday" she said, sitting down in front of him. "I'm surprised myself" he said, drinking scotch. "we all were. How are you and Dylan?" she asked. "nothing, I don't know" he said quietly. "she told me you two haven't talked in a while since the other night" Serena said. "if you don't mind, it has gotten awkward after the night we had sex" he said. "I know it has" Serena said. "just please, explain to her why you're like this lately" she said, then standing up, and getting her purse. "if mom asks, I'm at Dylan's, with Dan and Nate" she said, pressing the elevator button. Chuck finished his glass and refilled it, remembering what he was like before he met her. He was over Blair now, thanks to Dylan. He saw Blair in school, but they weren't in speaking terms anymore. He shook his head, to take his mind off things. It was just him in there, in the living room, on a Monday night. It wasn't like him at all. Right now, he would be with some girl, possibly having sex by then. He would be going around the city in his limo, drinking, and again, with some girls. He then wondered why Dylan liked him in the first place. He was the person most likely to hurt her a lot. And if she was hurt, Nate would find out. But he was Nate's best friend too. After all they had been through the previous year, he wanted to keep that friendship stable. This wasn't like him at all. He could see it now, all those years of being oblivious to the feelings of others, it was only Dylan that got through to him straight. He looked at his phone, and as he was about to call Dylan, he put it down.

Days had passed, and Dylan and Chuck didn't see each other. It had already been the first week of senior year. "you and Chuck still not speaking to each other?" Serena sat down beside Nate and Dylan. "nope. I think it got awkward between us. I don't even know why" Dylan said, writing something in her notebook. "well, if that's the way you feel about it, you should go tell him, he's over there" Serena said, looking at the corner where the doors were, and Chuck was leaning on the wall, his hand in his pocket. "I think I will" Dylan closed her notebook, then stood up. "Nate and I are just going to be here, talking" Serena said, as Dylan started walking. "will you finally admit that you like her?" Serena looked at Nate. "I told you, I don't like her like that" Nate said. "I know you do. It's like you always have been" Serena said. "what? it's not like that" Nate shook his head. "I can tell you didn't sleep well last night, you were thinking about her" she said. "I wasn't thinking about her. Fine, maybe I was, but in my defense, I was just reminiscing the days back then" he said. "wondering why she had to leave for Paris for the next 12 years?" Serena said. Nate shook his head. He couldn't take it anymore. "yes" he said quietly. He looked at Serena. "see? I knew it! You like her" she said. "seeing her looking like that right now, I can't really explain it" he said, looking at Dylan. "I think, I think I've fallen for my best friend" he said quietly. "Nate" Serena patted him on the shoulder. "it's like I always have been, pardon the inappropriate timing" he said. "it's fine. I think it's sweet of you to admit it" Serena smiled. "but, can you just help me out here. Just don't say anything to her" he said. "say what?" she smiled. "thanks" Nate said.

"Chuck" she said, going inside to her locker. "Dylan" he said, following her all of a sudden. Dylan stopped, and Chuck skidded to a halt. "if it got awkward between us, why didn't you tell me in the first place?" she said. "Dylan, I-" he said, but was cut off. "It would've been good to at least give me a heads up" she said. She turned around, about to walk again, when she felt Chuck grab her hand, stopping her. He looked right into her eyes. 'why does he have to do that?' she thought, as she looked back into his. "can you imagine us being together? Chuck and Dylan going to the movies, Chuck and Dylan going out of town" he held her hand this time, their fingers intertwining each other. "l'autre nuit était stupéfiante, j'ai juste peur" he said. "je sais. Moi aussi" Dylan said. "do you really think people are going to take this, us, seriously?" he said. "who cares what they think? Let gossip girl find out and spread the word for all I care" Dylan said. "let's get together in Victrola tonight" he said, then walking off again. Dylan watched him leave, his head bent down. She went to her locker, and put in her notebook. A tear fell down on her face, as she thought about what Chuck said to her. "hey," Serena and Nate were behind her. "I'm going to Victrola tonight. There's still something we have to talk about" Dylan said. "are you okay? You looked pretty sad from where we were watching" Nate said. "I am, I am, I just couldn't believe it" Dylan said, then closing her locker. "you want to talk about it or something?" Serena asked. "no, I'd rather not" Dylan shook her head.

That night, Dylan had arrived at Victrola. "I'll see you guys later" Dylan said to Nate and Serena on the phone, then hung up. Chuck appeared in front of her. "Chuck" she said. "Dylan" he said, as they went inside. In the midst of the loud music, and the girls dancing in front of them, they had managed to talk. "what now?" Dylan said, facing him. "I should've said that this was getting awkward between us" he said quietly. Dylan couldn't say anything. "you should have" she said. "you're never going to let me in, are you?" Dylan asked, staring into his eyes. Chuck stayed quiet, his expression pained. "it's settled then, I'm so stupid. I was stupid enough to actually fall for you" she said, shaking her head, standing up, and leaving. "Dylan, wait" Chuck followed her out into the street, where heavy rain greeted them. "what?" Dylan asked him. They were in the middle of an empty street that night, getting wet from the rain. "you-you deserve someone better than me. This, all this, is who I am, I don't want to hurt you" he said. He looked at Dylan, whose face was expressionless. She turned to leave. "so, this means we're through?" he said. Dylan looked back at him. "we weren't really together to begin with, right?" she said, then fled into the other side of the street.


	11. Mistakes We Knew We Were Making

**A/N: thanks again to SamQuinnSportyBee for the encouragement. To those who are rooting for DYLANATE or DYLAN-CHUCK, you guys gave me an idea for a poll question. haha. thanks guys. This is Chapter 11. Read and Review again guys :D These are much appreciated :D Oh and by the way, I already made a poll, so you can visit my profile page and vote, kay? thanks a lot :D **

Dylan ran towards her building through the rain. She couldn't believe it. Tears were streaming down her face, black from the mascara she wore, even with the heavy rain. She crossed the street, with slight difficulty. She didn't care about getting wet, all she cared about was getting herself in her apartment, and getting to bed. It was a Friday night, and she just wanted to get away from what just happened. She got in the building, and in the elevator. Wiping her face with a handkerchief, she pressed the button. As the elevator doors opened, she found Nate, Serena, Dan, and Marge in the living room. "oh my god, what happened to you?" Serena went to her. "Marge, towels please" Nate said. "you're soaking wet, did something happen to you?" Dan asked. "it's complicated" Dylan just said, blowing her nose with her handkerchief. "come on, Dylan, you have to get into some dry clothes" Marge pulled her up the stairs to her room. Nate, Dan, and Serena exchanged looks with each other. "Chuck" they all said. "Nate, maybe you should look after her. It's getting late, we have to go. We'll see you guys tomorrow" Serena said. "yeah, goodnight, guys" Dan said, coming with Serena to the elevator. "goodnight" Nate said, as the door closed. He looked up the staircase, and heard Dylan crying. 'she's your bestfriend, Nate, you should go up there, and ask her what's wrong' he thought, as he slowly climbed up the stairs. As he was getting closer to Dylan's room, the more he thought about it.

He knocked on the door, and saw Marge, and Dylan, her hair up in a towel. "come in, Nate" Marge said. "Dylan, what's wrong?" he asked. "I'm so stupid" Dylan looked at him, her eyes all puffy and red from crying. "stupid?" he asked. "I'm stupid enough to fall for him. He pushed me away. Like what he did earlier today" she said, sniffing. Nate stayed quiet. Marge stood up and went to him. "I think she needs you right now. Go ahead" Marge told him, as she left the room. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed, and hugged her. "I'm sorry about that" he said. Dylan looked at him. "this is what happens when I expect too much from someone" she said. "no, no. It's his loss, not yours. Come on, he may be Chuck Bass, but he doesn't know the Dylan that I know. He doesn't realize how special you are and I'm just saying this, because you're my best friend" he put an arm around her. "hey, I know what'll cheer you up. How 'bout a movie marathon, just us, and Marge included?" he said, smiling at her. Dylan looked at him, through her puffy eyes and smiled as well. "thanks. I would like that" and she hugged him. While they were there, Nate looked at Dylan. He hugged her tightly. He didn't know if Dylan felt it, but his heart was pounding. "what are you doing?" Dylan said as he let go and stood up. "I'm going to Marge, getting the popcorn and ice cream" he said. "okay, but after you do that, can you just stay here? we can watch here" Dylan said, looking at him. "yeah, sure. Of course" he said, as he left.

He climbed down the stairs, shaking off what he was feeling at that second. This time, he felt he loved her more than ever. But then again, it was like he always has been in love with her, even when they were kids. He was always drawn to her. Every time they were together, he felt butterflies in his stomach. They had fun together, and they had so many things in common. But seeing her cry, it hurt him as well. He saw Marge, on the landing. "Marge" he said. "is she alright?" she asked. "she's going to be fine. I promised her a movie marathon. Can you get us some ice cream, and popcorn?" he said. "sure. You finally realized it then?" she asked him. Nate looked at Marge, his lips forming into a smile. "yeah, I did" he nodded. "but, if I may suggest, give her some time to decompress from this. Before you admit it to her" she said, walking into the kitchen. He climbed back up the stairs and into Dylan's room. "I'm back" he said. "great. Up for Psycho again?" she held up the dvd. "that movie never really ceases to amaze me. Alfred Hitchcock is indeed a good director. And Bernard Herrmann with the soundtrack? It's indeed a classic" Nate said. "wow, you picked up on that pretty fast" Dylan said, blowing her nose with a tissue. "I read the box of that dvd" Nate grinned, then sat down on the floor in front of Dylan. "how are your parents?" she asked. "they're fine. Dad's hiding out, in Dominica, and my mom's still in the Hamptons house" Nate said. "you want to go visit your mom or something?" Dylan asked. "no, I think I've visited her enough since we went there during the summer" Nate shook his head. "and besides, I wouldn't want you to be alone in here" he looked at her. "thanks, Archibald" Dylan smiled, then lay down on her stomach facing him. "not a problem, Von Furstenburg" he laughed. "ice cream and popcorn anyone?" Marge entered with a big tub of popcorn and two big tubs of ice cream. "thanks, Marge" they both said. "Marge, you want to join us in our movie marathon?" Dylan said. Marge looked at them and smiled. "why, of course" she sat down on the chair at the side as Nate popped in the Psycho dvd.

Saturday morning. Marge came to Dylan's room. "wake up, Dylan" she said, moving a big lump under the sheets. "Marge, it's Saturday" Dylan said, sitting up. "it is, but your parents are arriving in a few minutes. And you have to go fetch them from the airport. Max is already downstairs, waiting for you" Marge said. Dylan jumped out of bed at once. "and Nate is already in the limo. He said he's going to come with you. He insisted, but I don't know why" Marge said. Dylan jumped in the shower, and threw on her denim miniskirt, black shirt, and slipped on her dirty black converse, and tied her hair into a messy bun, and got her bag. "Marge, just please prepare breakfast when I get back" Dylan said, rushing down the stairs. "Nate has it. Go, go, go!" Marge pushed her into the elevator. "hi Ted, bye Ted" she said, hurrying out of the elevator and out the building to find Max, her chauffeur, standing by the limo door. "sorry Max. I overslept" she said. "looks like it" Max said, opening the door to find Nate inside already. "hi Nate" she said, fixing herself again. "hi Dylan. Marge gave me your breakfast" he said, handing her the paper bag. "thanks" Dylan said, taking a bite out of her croissant, as they were going to JFK airport. "how are you?" he asked. Dylan wiped her lips with a napkin. "I'm fine. Thanks. That movie marathon made me feel better" Dylan said, smiling at him. "that's good to know" he said. "Nate," she said. "yeah?" he looked at her. "thank you" she said. "no problem" he smiled. "I think my parents have been wanting to see you. They're always talking about how when we were kids and stuff" Dylan laughed at the thought. "well, my parents have been doing the same. These days, my mom reminisces of how life was simpler back then. And she found it cute, actually" he said. "sounds like our parents want us to get together" Dylan laughed at the thought. Nate laughed as well, trying not to react to what she said. The limo suddenly stopped. "we're here" Dylan looked out the window.

They stood by the limo, waiting for her parents to arrive. As they looked on, they saw the doors open, and two people, along with their maid, appeared, with trolleys of luggage. The woman looked at Dylan. "Dylan darling!" she said. "mother" Dylan kissed her mom and dad on the cheek. "dad" she said, stepping back. "ma, dad, you remember Nate, right?" she said. "oh my! Could this be Nathaniel Archibald?! Oh, you've grown into a handsome man. You're no longer the 5-year old I see running around the house after Dylan" Caroline looked at Nate, who exchanged looks with Dylan. "Nathaniel, I see you've grown into a fine man. Like your father, eh?" Dylan's father shook his hand. "thank you, Mr. Von Furstenburg" he said, stepping back to stand beside Dylan. "please, call me Stuart" he said, as Max opened the limo door for them to get in. "ugh, we just came from St. Petersburg, the museum is just a beautiful as in the picture" Caroline said, as the maid, Eva, handed her a glass of champagne. "you should go there sometime, Dylan" she said. "so, Nathaniel, how is the family? I'm sorry about your father by the way" Stuart said. "thanks. It's fine, it's fine" Nate said. "how's your mom?" Caroline asked him. "uh, she's okay. She's staying in our Hamptons house, so, she's covered. I think" he said. "oh, which reminds me, Dylan darling, there is this fundraising gala tomorrow night. Plan to tell me what you'll be wearing?" she asked. Dylan stared at her mother. "uh, is it formal?" she asked. "well of course, dear. The galas we Von Furstenburgs go to are immediately formal" Caroline said, downing the rest of her champagne. "oh, I have a dress already" she nodded. "that's good" Stuart said. "is this the cure for AIDS fundraising gala?" Nate asked. "yes, Nate" Caroline nodded, smiling at him. The limo stopped in front of a townhouse. "this is us then. Bye Dylan dear. Stop by for dinner tonight. Good to see you again, Nathaniel" Caroline said, as she kissed Dylan and Nate on the cheek. "good to see you Nathaniel" Stuart shook his hand after kissing Dylan on the cheek, as they got out of the limo. Once they were gone, the limo was on its way to Dylan's building. "whew" Nate gave a sigh of relief. "they do seem pretty interested in you" Dylan giggled. "you too" Nate said. "they're like that to me. Always spoiling me and everything. Not really my thing, even though I'm like this" Dylan said. "they are something" Nate said. "yeah, they are" Dylan smiled.

The limo dropped them back into the building. "hello Ted" they both said, passing by the concierge. "uh, Ms. Von Furstenburg, Mr. Archibald" Ted stopped them as they were about to press the elevator button. "yes, someone came in earlier, asking for both of you. A Chuck Bass" he said. Dylan's smile faded. "he left these to give to you, Ms. Von Furstenburg" he handed her a small box. "oh, and Mr. Archibald, Mr. Bass said to call him" Ted said. "thanks Ted" Nate said, as he pressed the elevator button, and went inside. "are you going to open it?" he asked. "no. not yet" Dylan shook her head, then looking at the small box in her hand. The door opened to the apartment, and they rushed into the living room. "how are your parents?" Marge said, coming from the kitchen. "they couldn't be more happier. They were glad to see Nate too" Dylan said. "well, your parents were fond of Nate" Marge said. "I know. and it kind of scares me a little. It's like we're 5 again" Nate said, sitting down on the couch. "did my dress arrive?" Dylan asked. "yes it did. It's in our closet. Are the van der Woodsens coming too?" Marge asked. "I think so. Why wouldn't they? But actually they're the Basses now" Dylan said. "ooh, so that explains the squabbling between Serena and Chuck?" Marge said. Dylan gave her a look. "how do you know about that?" "I check Gossip Girl" Marge said. Dylan and Nate exchanged looks with each other and laughed. "wow, suddenly I am aware of this Gossip girl and that everyone's tuning into her" she said, sitting down on the couch as well. "now you know how I feel" Nate said.

"what happened last night?" Serena asked her over lunch out in a café later that day. "let's just say I expected too much of him, and now I feel so stupid" Dylan shook her head, sipping her pink lemonade. "stupid? Dylan, don't do that to yourself" Serena said. "I was stupid enough to actually… fall for him" Dylan continued. "you did?" she said. "yeah. I mean, I didn't know it at first, because I only saw it as sheer loathing or something, you know" Dylan said. "hey, I'm going to the gala tomorrow night with Dan. Mom said I could bring a date" Serena said. "ooh, Dan. Good for you" Dylan said. "you don't have a date?" Serena asked. "no" Dylan shook her head. "why don't you take Nate with you? I think he's invited too. You could be each other's plus ones" Serena suggested. "I don't know with him" Dylan said with uncertainty. "come on, at least you'll be with Nate. Your best friend. It's not like it's romantic or anything" Serena said. "yeah, you're right. I'll talk to him about this gala thing tomorrow night. He was there when my parents talked about it" Dylan said. "there?" Serena asked. "yeah. He came with me to pick up my parents, and then they talk about that, and what I'm going to wear, blah, blah, blah, and there you go" Dylan explained. "come on, this will be a way to get over Chuck" Serena said. "alright, alright, but I need help on my outfit over here" Dylan laughed. "you done? Let's hang out at Dan's" Serena stood up, waiting for Dylan to finish.

"where's Dylan?" Nate came out of his room. "she's having lunch with Serena. Speaking of lunch, here is yours" Marge said, bringing a tray to the living room. "oh, great. Thanks Marge" Nate said. "by the way, your mom said she couldn't make it to the gala tomorrow night, so you have to fill in for her" Marge said. "what? oh, okay" Nate nodded, while eating. "get a tuxedo ready" Marge looked at him. "Marge, I already have one" Nate said. "I know. but this is a special gala. Dylan's going to be there" Marge said. "and that's what makes it so special? Come on, Marge. She's not going to take any notice at me. She's still trying to get over Chuck. I mean her mind's still on him" Nate said. "so? why don't you accompany her to the gala? Serena will be there too. The three of you can hang out. Be each other's plus ones" Marge said. "you're really trying to get us together, aren't you?" Nate said. "of course. You two belong together. It's about time you saw that. It's about time Dylan saw it too" Marge grinned. "but right now, she needs a friend more than ever, after dealing with Chuck" she said. "wait, you're saying that Dylan and I belong together and that we should realize it, then you say that she needs a friend? You've lost me completely" Nate said, confused. "you'll see what I mean" Marge winked at him as she headed into the kitchen. It left Nate with an idea. He looked at his phone. The pictures in it, were of him and Dylan, since she got back from Paris. Her sunny smile, her gray eyes, and long, brown, glossy hair. He was amazed on how long it had been since he last saw her. He looked at Dylan's number, and was about to call. He remembered the day she arrived, he couldn't help but smile. And she was a good friend to him. Always stuck by him whenever he was in trouble. She was more of a friend than Chuck actually. But that didn't matter. The three of them were like a trio. They were inseparable, depending on the situation. Dylan and Nate had to stick together. Even though Dylan hung out with Serena most of the time these days, it was still different. Even Chuck was different. But this situation, Dylan and Chuck dating, then they split up, and then he suddenly feels things for Dylan, it was familiar to what they had with Blair the previous year, he was with Blair, then chuck suddenly falls for her. Familiar, but way different. Chuck was with Dylan, and now he was the one in Chuck's place. The one who wants what he might not really have. But he wasn't going to let it happen. He was going to stop this love triangle from happening.

"ah, I win" Dylan said, after rolling the dice. "no you did not. You still have a space to go before you do" Jenny said. They saw Rufus come in. "hey dad" Dan said, as Jenny hugged him. "hey, kids. Hey Serena" he said, as Serena waved at him. "uh, dad, this is Dylan Von Furstenburg" Dan said, introducing them. "hello" Dylan smiled. "call me Rufus" he said. Dylan just smiled. "dad, Dylan's from Paris, but she's not really French" Jenny said. "ah, you speak the language huh?" he said, with a fake French accent. "dad, not cool" Dan said, cringing. "what? it's worth a try" Rufus chuckled. Dylan just laughed. "so, dad, we're going to go somewhere to eat. Is Eric coming with us?" Dan said to Serena. "yeah. I told him to follow. So, let's go" Serena said, as they all stood up to go out. "have fun, all of you" Rufus said, looking at them. "nice meeting you, Rufus" Dylan said. "you too, Dylan" Rufus said, then closing the door. "so, you feeling better?" Dan asked Dylan. "yeah I am. Kind of. So where are we going today?" Dylan looked at the three of them. "how about an underground club with this really cool unsigned band?" Dan suggested. "wow, that sounds great. I'm game for that" Dylan said. "let's go. Before the good seats are taken" Serena pulled him.

Dylan arrived that night, as Marge was preparing dinner. "the band was so cool" Dylan said, sitting down in front of Nate, and started eating. "oh, Nate, I'm sorry I left. You were asleep, I didn't want to wake you" she said. "no, no, it's not your fault. I should've told you that I wanted to have lunch with you and Serena today" Nate said, shaking his head, then smiling at her. Dylan smiled back. His smile was very assuring. It made her feel comfortable. "oh, okay." She nodded. "so, the gala's tomorrow night, right? I just found out that my mom couldn't make it" he said. "I'm sorry about that" Dylan said, giving him an apologetic look. "but hey, I have a suggestion. Why don't we go together?" he asked. Dylan looked at him. "you sure? I thought you were going to bring a date or something" she said. "I'm not. But are you going to bring a date?" he asked. "because I can find a date if you already have a date" he added. "no, no, I'm not. Actually I'm steering clear of that word. It's been kind of rough on me, but I think I'll be fine" Dylan nodded. "so, you want to go together? Think about it, we already live together anyway, and people are going to expect us to go together in this gala" Nate said. 'please say yes, please say yes' he thought over and over again as he looked at Dylan. "okay, great. I was actually thinking about it too. I talked about it with Serena. Hey, we can be each other's plus ones!" she said, and Nate gave her a high five. "exactly, right? ah, I knew we were best friends for a reason" Nate said, grinning. "well, great minds do think alike" Dylan held her glass. "cheers" she said. "to great minds, and great friendships" Nate said, laughing.

By the time dinner was done, Dylan saw the box, still on the side table in the living room. "you want to see what's inside now?" Nate asked her. "yeah, I think I do" Dylan nodded. She untied the ribbon on the box, then opened it, taking out the small pieces of paper. She stared at it. She couldn't believe it. Inside was a bracelet. The bracelet with engraved words inside it. It said, "ce n'est pas quotidien rencontre une dame comme vous. Je suis désolé". And there was a tag hanging onto it. "I'm sorry for everything" it said. She straightened herself up again. "what? what happened?" Nate came to her. Dylan gave him the tag. "oh" he just said. Dylan took a deep breath. She wasn't going to cry. Not this time. "so, you game for another movie marathon?" she said, teary-eyed. Nate looked at her apologetically. It wasn't long before she started to cry. She had broken down again. "Dylan" he said, hugging her. It was just like the previous night, wherein he found Dylan by the elevator, soaking wet, and crying. They stayed like that, standing in the middle of the apartment.


	12. Don't Say Goodbye, Say Goodnight

**A/N: thanks for the reviews. Ah, and I'm having a little trouble with what's going to happen at the end of this fic. So, i put up a poll in my profile page, asking you guys who should Dylan end up with. So, if you're in favor of DYLANATE or DYLUCK [hehe], Please, please, please answer :D. And of course, review this chapter. thanks a lot :D **

"I'm sorry" Dylan sniffed. "for what?" Nate asked her as they let go. "I'm sorry I keep crying on you for some reason" Dylan said, trying to smile. "no, no, it's fine" Nate looked at his shirt, which already had a wet spot from Dylan's tears. She put down the box on the table, with the bracelet still inside. "but, hey, you know what? we're going to the gala together. Chuck's not going to be there anyway. I know it's not easy to just forget someone like that, but you could try taking your mind off that. Movie marathon again?" he said, looking at her and wiping her tears with the tissue Marge handed him. "and besides, your parents are not going to like seeing you with your eyes all puffy and red" he said. "yeah, yeah, you're right. We are going together after all" Dylan said. "you want to take a walk? It's been a while since we hung out" he said, getting his coat. "are you kidding me? we always hang out" Dylan said. "what I meant was, it's been a while since we both got to hang out and talk about stuff. like how long it's been since we reminisced" he said. "what? Nate, Marge has been doing it for us" Dylan said, leaning on the table. "fine, then we just take a walk. Make fun of random stuff for a change" he suggested. Dylan stood up straight, then her eyes widened. "oh my, we have to go to my parents house!" she said, surprised. "wha- oh yeah!" Nate said, hurrying to get to the elevator. By the time they got to the lobby, to their surprise, they saw a limo waiting in front. "hey, you two, get in" Max said, from the window. "thank you Max!" they said, hurrying inside, on their way to Dylan's parents house.

By the time they arrived, they saw Caroline standing on the steps of the house. "and welcome to the Von Furstenburg mansion" Dylan said. "where are we?" Nate looked around. "Westchester, actually" Caroline said. "glad to have you with us Nathaniel" she said. "Dylan pulled me into it. I thought it wouldn't be polite of me to suddenly impose or something" he said. "oh, nonsense Nathaniel, you're always welcome with us" she said, smiling at him. "well, thank you for inviting me then" Nate smiled, as they went inside. Caroline led them through the elegantly decorated rooms of the mansion. "Dylan darling, I thought you two would never come" Caroline said, opening the doors into the big dining room. Nostalgia overcame Nate. He remembered running around the same long table when he was 5. He was chasing Dylan, who was wearing pigtails back then. "ah, Nathaniel, so glad you could join us" Stuart stood up, and shook his hand. "thank you for inviting me" Nate smiled and sat down beside Dylan. "so, Dylan, how was your first summer back here in New York?" Caroline asked. "it was fine. We went to the Hamptons" Dylan said. "how is the Hamptons these days? I hope it's still how I remember it to be" Stuart said. "it still is, dad. So, how did the rest of your trip go?" Dylan asked them. "it was divine. You should go to Budapest and the rest of Moscow, Romania, Transylvania. It was like walking into a movie set. Hey, I have an idea, why don't you go there for break and take Nate with you too?" Caroline said. "yeah, it would be great for you two friends to bond" Stuart added. "yeah, and catch up" Caroline said, with hesitance to the word. "mom, dad, we've had enough time to catch up already. And besides, Nate lives with me. And we go to school together anyway" Dylan said. "ah yes. Nate does live with you" Caroline said. "for the meantime. Family trouble, with our money and everything" Nate said.

"what the hell happened with you and Dylan?" Serena looked at Chuck, who was slouching on the couch, looking at his glass of scotch. "yesterday happened" Chuck said. "when she came home to her apartment last night, we saw her soaking wet, and crying. Can you explain that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. "she was crying?" he asked. "yes! She was. Dylan's my friend. You hurt her" she said, sitting down in front of him. "she loved you" she added. Chuck flinched at the word. He put down his glass, and straightened himself up. He couldn't answer. "fix this thing between you and Dylan" she said. Chuck took a deep breath. "fix it" she poked him on his chest, then stood up and climbed up the stairs. "just don't repeat your past mistakes. You might end up losing Dylan, permanently" she said, then going into her room. Chuck looked at Serena, who closed the door of her room. All of a sudden, he was reminded of what happened with Blair the previous year. Flashbacks of what happened the day before Blair left for the summer. "I'm going to lose her" he said. He got out his phone, and looked at her number, and started to call. "hey, this is Dylan, I'm sorry I can't talk to you right now, please leave a message" and the beep started. He dropped his phone. He stared at the ground, with a nonplussed expression on his face. He stood up, and walked to the elevator door, and pressed the button.

He stepped inside Dylan's apartment. "Chuck? Dylan and Nate aren't here" Marge said. "do you have any idea where she is?" he asked. "she's with her parents, having a late dinner" Marge said. "have you come to fix things with Dylan?" she asked. Chuck gave her a confused look. Without saying anything, he turned around, and just as he was about to press the button, he saw the box that he gave her, with the bracelet. He put it down, then pressed the elevator button, already knowing what was going to happen. He stared at the elevator doors, as he was going down to the lobby. "thank you Ted" he muttered, then went out to get in his limo.

Nate and Dylan stepped out on the porch, in front of their waiting limo, laughing. "and then your father, apparently mistook the owner for a janitor" Caroline said, laughing. "that must be some restaurant in Turkey" Dylan said. "so, Nathaniel, which college are you planning to enter?" Caroline asked him. "well, I was hoping to check out west, USC, or UCLA. But I'm keeping my options open, even though my dad speaks highly of Dartmouth" Nate said. "if you want, we can get you Princeton. I'm friends with the Dean. That way you'll be in the lead against all your classmates" Caroline grinned. "thank you, Caroline, I will have to think about that" Nate just smiled. "ma, it's getting late, and we have that gala, right?" Dylan said. "oh yes, dear, goodnight, both of you, get your beauty sleep, I want you to look your best tomorrow night" Caroline said to Dylan as they got in the limo. "goodnight" Caroline said, waving at them as the limo drove back to Manhattan. "you'll be so far away when we get to college" Dylan said. "I was hoping for that. That way, I'll be able to check out new places. You'll be in New Jersey anyway" he said. "yeah, but we won't be able to hang out anymore" Dylan said. "that's the reason why I came back here" she said. "I don't know, I just want to get away from all this tension. They've already aired my dirty laundry in Gossip girl, or so these group of girls say" Nate said. "I see. But, if you go to USC or UCLA, let's keep in touch, alright?" Dylan said, touching his hand. Nate looked at her hand on his. He felt heat in his cheeks, as he then looked at Dylan. "yeah, of course. I'll be mongering you everyday in college" he joked. "great, and I'll be doing the same to you" Dylan laughed. "you know what? I think I'll try out Princeton. I gave my word that I keep my options open, and I will" he said. "you're just saying that because I'm already here for good" Dylan said. "no, no, I check it out. If it's as good as I thought it would be, then I'll go for it" Nate said, smiling.

They returned to the apartment later that night, seeing Marge seated on the couch. "good evening Marge," they said, entering the apartment. "Chuck dropped by. He was acting weird though" Marge said. "weird? As in how weird?" Nate asked, his brow raised. "he couldn't say anything. It was like he was disturbed upon finding out that you were gone" Marge answered. "and he saw the box that he gave to you over there" she pointed at the table, where the box still was, intact, with the bracelet still in it. "okay, just forget about him. We have to get some sleep. Mom says I have to be looking my best tomorrow" Dylan climbed up the stairs. "goodnight guys" she smiled at Marge and Nate. "goodnight, Dylan" Nate said. "hey, pick me up at 8" she joked, then went to her room, and closed the door. "I bet her parents liked you" she said. "what? yeah they kind of did. But that's because they know my parents" Nate said. "uh huh. Chuck was acting weird when he dropped by. It was like he didn't know what to do" Marge said. "I think I know what it means" Nate said, suddenly recalling that one time. "I'm in favor of you two getting together, but it does look like Chuck is still in Dylan's mind" Marge said, then going into the kitchen. Nate took a deep breath. He opened the door of his room, and collapsed on the bed. "I like her, I like her a lot" he said to himself.

"so, how are you doing?" Serena asked Chuck over breakfast. "same old. Like nothing has happened to me yesterday, and the day before that" Chuck answered quietly. "what? you've had lots of girls yesterday and the day before" then Chuck gave her a look. "oh, you're- you're not over Dylan, are you?" she said, giving him a good look. "does it look like I'm over her?" Chuck snapped. "so, did you try and fix things with her?" Serena asked. Chuck gave her a look again. "oh, sorry I asked" Serena said. "I came by her apartment, and she wasn't there, Nate wasn't there" Chuck said. "I'm sorry about that" Serena said. "I'm losing her. I know it" Chuck slouched. "then try again. Fight for her. It's never too late to make something happen between you two" Serena said. "look, I have to get dressed and meet up with Dan, try again" Serena got up and went to her room. He thought of what Serena had said, even the night before. It gave him an idea. He was finally going to take a risk. He looked at his phone, and at Dylan's number. "hello, it's Dylan, I can't talk right now, you know what to do" and the beep started. He dropped his phone again. It was the second time that happened. He stared at the table, then stood up, and straightened himself. He had to do something. He had to take a risk this time. By the time he was at the lobby, he got in his limo. "take me to Dylan's place" he said.

He arrived at Dylan's place. "Marge, where's Dylan?" he said, upon seeing Marge come out from the kitchen. "she's upstairs" she said. "hey man, what are you doing here?" Nate came out of his room. Chuck went straight up to her room. "I have to see her" he said, going up the stairs. He saw the door slightly open, and Dylan was sitting on the chair in front of her dresser. "Chuck" Dylan stood up, looking at him. "Dylan," he said, walking up to her. "I should've told you how I really felt about you" he said, holding her hand. Dylan said nothing. "please tell me you still feel the same way" he said. Dylan looked at him. "I'm sorry. You had your chance, but you blew it" she said, getting teary-eyed. "Chuck, I- I think you should go" Dylan said, looking down. It hurt her a lot, but she had to do it. Chuck looked at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, that he's never seen in anyone else before. "Dylan, I'm sorry" he said. "just go" Dylan looked at him this time. She let go of his hand, then turned her back against him. "Dylan, please" Chuck said, about to touch her shoulder, but her couldn't. "you don't know how much I liked you" Dylan said. "I know that now" Chuck said. "Chuck, just-just go" Dylan said. Chuck didn't know what to say anymore. He left her room, climbed down the stairs, seeing Nate and Marge standing in the living room. "Marge, Nate, always a pleasure" he said, then getting in the elevator.

That night, everyone was getting ready for the much-awaited fundraising gala. "wow, Nate, just as handsome as I remember you to be" Marge said, as Nate stepped out of his room, in a tuxedo. "thanks, Marge" Nate said, looking at himself in the mirror. "Dylan should be out in a few minutes, in case you're wondering" Marge said. Dylan suddenly stepped out. In a black gown, reminiscent of what Eva Green wore in Casino Royale. Nate was dumbstruck upon seeing her come down the steps. Her hair was up in a bun, with a brooch in the strap of her dress. He was amazed at how beautiful she looked. "hey, Nate, you look good" she said, looking him up and down. "so do you, wow, I'm in awe" he said, trying to get it out of his system. "you get over Chuck pretty fast, huh" he said, still amazed. "well, the hair, I admit, I'm not so used to this tight bun, with all this mousse and product and everything. It weighs it down" Dylan shook her head, and laughed. "so, you ready to go?" Nate said. "Max is waiting downstairs already, and your parents called me, looking for both of you, so, I definitely should push you two in the elevator and get going for the gala. Have fun you two" Marge said, pushing them inside the elevator, then waved as the doors closed. "hey, how do you know what color my gown is?" Dylan looked at him. "nothing. Lucky guess" Nate grinned. "it's like what we said during that one time over breakfast. Great minds think alike, and you, my friend," she put an arm around him. "have a great mind" she smiled. "I'm not going to take all the credit, you know. you did some pretty good thinking yourself" Nate grinned at her and laughed. The doors opened, and they saw Ted, smiling at them. "hey Ted" they both said, stepping out. "you two look good. Where to?" he asked. "gala. My parents fault" Dylan said. "and you two match up pretty well" Ted muttered, as they went out to the lobby. "have fun, you two" Ted said.

They had finally arrived at the gala, wherein dozens of photographers took pictures of her and Nate as they stepped inside. "they're going all out for this thing" Nate said. "Dylan! Nate! You have arrived" Caroline and Stuart hugged Dylan. "both of you look divine" Caroline looked them up and down. "enjoy the party, both of you" Stuart said, as he and Caroline went around to the other guests. "oh my god, Dylan von Furstenburg, is that you?" a woman came to them. "uh, hello" Dylan smiled. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. Sandra Mason, of the Mason Underground Art Gallery in Paris" she held out her hand and Dylan shook it. "I knew your parents. And I believe you know my son?" she asked. "oh, Gerard Mason is your son? I'm sorry I didn't know" Dylan said, surprised. "ah, and who is this young man who you're with tonight?" she asked, looking at Nate. "uh, this is my best friend, Nate Archibald" she said. "hello, nice to meet you" Nate shook her hand. "nice to meet you too. Well, I better go, enjoy" she said, walking off. "I can't believe she was Gerard's mom, I didn't even see the resemblance" Dylan said, surprised. "who's Gerard?" Nate asked. "a guy I hung out with back in Paris. He's like this artist, who does amazing paintings. I tell you, people who have seen his work, often mistake it for something that Jackson Pollock did, or even Salvador Dali. It's pretty incredible" Dylan said. "wow, then he must be pretty good. being compared to Pollock and Dali" Nate said. "and yeah, in case you're wondering why we're so close, we dated for a while. But we didn't do it or anything" Dylan said. "Nate! Dylan!" Serena and Dan found them, along with Eric. "hey guys" they said. "you two look great. How come I didn't see that gown before?" Serena looked her up and down. "well, I had this made custom, just got it yesterday. Randolph Duke" she said. "ooh, very nice" Serena said. They laughed. "so, I'll get us some drinks then" Nate said, going to the bar. "me too. Champagne, right?" Dan followed Nate.

Chuck got out of the limo and entered the gala. His eyes scanned the place for a sign of Dylan, or Nate, or even Serena and Dan around. He went forward, not minding the cameras flashing on both sides. He stopped all of a sudden, as in the midst of all the beautiful and important people, dressed for the occasion, Dylan stood out. Even in her black gown, and updo, she had this glow to her. He took a deep breath, his expression nonplussed, then walked straight. "scotch please" he said. "Chuck, you came" Nate saw him. "I wouldn't miss this. And besides, I've been hearing all this talk about Dylan" he said, drinking. "look, I know we haven't talked that much since Dylan arrived" Nate said. "it's alright" Chuck said. "alright, I'll see you later, man" Nate said, walking off with the two glasses. He turned around and looked to where he was walking. He saw him giving the glass to Dylan, who was laughing with Serena and Dan. He couldn't take it anymore. He was still keeping his feelings for Dylan inside, and he wanted to let her know. "do I see Dylan von Furstenburg?" he heard one girl say. "yeah, and she even got Nate Archibald as her date, I'm totally jealous" another girl said. "but they're not even together. I heard they're just best friends" the first girl said. "I don't know about that. I heard they live together already" the other girl said. Chuck took a deep breath, then stood up, and opened the door at the side, and went in. 'I knew coming here was not a good idea' he thought, as he found himself on the terrace. He looked at the view of the city, underneath a sky laden with stars. He was already here and he still couldn't say it. She was already there as well. It was too perfect an opportunity. He expected that she would follow him in this area. He slowly counted. One, two, three, four. . . five. She wasn't there. But that suddenly sparked an idea. Apparently, something has been holding him back. He looked at the door. He fixed himself, then opened the door to go back in.

Dylan's phone rang. "who is it?" they asked. "nothing, nothing, it's just a message" she said, taking a look. "I'll be right back" Dylan left them. She climbed up the staircase. She found herself in the hallway of the second floor. "hello Dylan" Chuck stood at the other end. She scoffed, and shook her head. She walked toward the stairwell, about to go down, when Chuck suddenly caught her hand. "wait" he said, his hand, traveling upwards to her shoulder, then to her face. "I just want to say it" he said. "then say it" Dylan said. "the guy who you saw in Victrola isn't the guy you're seeing right now" he said. Dylan just looked at him. "Dylan, I-" he stopped. "yes?" Dylan whispered. "I-I-can't say it" he stopped again. "I knew it. I won't expect anything to happen between us anymore" Dylan turned to go down again, when Chuck pulled her to him to kiss her. Dylan suddenly pulled away from him. "let me go, Chuck" she said. "I don't want to" Chuck whispered in her ear, then kissed her again. "tell me to stop" he said, as his hands were on her waist. "tell me that you don't feel the same way anymore" he said, kissing her again. 'damn, the guy is a really good kisser' she thought. "Chuck, I-" Dylan said, looking at him. "you're not saying anything" he said. "je-je ne peux pas m'en occuper en ce moment" she said, letting go. "I'm not letting you go unless you tell me that you don't feel the same way anymore," he said. "unless you tell me that you don't love me anymore" he added. Dylan looked down on the floor. "Dylan, I-I-I" he stopped. He wanted to say it. He felt a lump rising in his throat as he stared at her. "I love you, Dylan" he said. There, he said it. Dylan stared at him, surprised, and a little teary-eyed. He hoped he would get the same thing from her. "I love you too" she said. "from the moment I met you, I knew you were different" he said, then kissed her. "I knew you would be a lot to handle" she said.

"Dylan? Dylan?" Nate looked around the place. He was getting a little worried. She was out for almost a half hour. "hey, have you seen Dylan?" he asked a group of girls passing by him. "she went up here a few minutes ago" one girl said. "thanks a lot" he said, climbing up the stairs. "Dylan? Dylan?" he called out as he reached the hallway. He heard a slight thud. He looked down both sides of the hallway. He hoped to find her alone. He hoped to tell her how he felt. He tried to call her on her cell. She wasn't answering. "where are you?" he muttered. In the corner of his eye, he saw an open door in one room of the hallway. There was a dim light coming out from it. He began to walk towards it. By the time he got there, he saw something he shouldn't have.


	13. What We Want To Be

**A/N: Okay, here's chapter 13, possibly the second to the last chapters of this fic. Thanks for voting in the poll, and thanks for the lovely reviews i've recieved. You guys were right, Dylan and Nate do belong together. hahahaha. **

Dylan and Chuck were already on the bed, making out, when Dylan suddenly pulled away. The moment they had out in the hallway was a little confusing. The feeling was gone all of a sudden. She remembered the night he broke her heart. She couldn't understand herself. 'come on Dylan, before you were head over heels for Chuck, what happened now?' she thought. "what?" Chuck asked, as Dylan got off him and straightened herself up. "I suddenly realized that, I just-I just can't do this" Dylan said, standing up and fixing herself. She went out of the room. "Nate" she said, looking at him. "Dylan," Chuck went out as well. "Nate, what are you doing here?" he asked him. "I was just passing by, when Dylan saw me" he explained. "Chuck, I can't do this. Not now" Dylan said. "you said you loved me" he said. Nate looked at Dylan, with a nonplussed expression on his face. "yes, I did. I'm just not so sure, why I said that" she said. Chuck stayed quiet. "maybe, I should just go ahead downstairs" Nate said to Dylan. "yeah, maybe you should" Dylan said to him, patting him on the shoulder, while he was walking away. "you see, before, it felt like that. But when you told me that awhile ago, I-I don't know anymore. I'm getting confused" Dylan said. Chuck couldn't say anything. He was surprised. "I told you I loved you, but, the truth is, I just-I just got caught up in the moment. All of a sudden, you're there, and saying these things. You took me by surprise, you caught me off guard back there. Right now, I'm not so sure anymore. Look, I meant what I said when you came by the apartment. You broke my heart, now I'm breaking yours. I'm sorry" she said, looking down, then leaving Chuck standing there, in the middle of the hallway.

She came down the stairs, and saw Nate, standing by. "what happened?" he asked. "I told him the truth" she said, a little shaken by what just happened. "and then?" he said. "I think I've gotten over him completely" Dylan said, looking at him. "you sure? You look a little sad" Nate said to her. "no, no, I'm fine. I think. I just can't understand myself tonight" she said. "you want a drink or something?" Nate said. "yeah, sure" Dylan said, looking at him, and they walked towards the bar. "you okay?" he asked. "I don't know. I told him everything. I told him what I really felt, and what you heard isn't the whole thing" she said, downing her glass of champagne. "you want to go home then? We can watch those classic horror movies you like so much. I know you like old movies, and your favorite tub of ice cream. Cookie dough, right?" he said, in an attempt to make her smile. Dylan looked around, and looked everywhere. "please take me away from here" Dylan stood up, while she draped her arm on Nate's and went out of the event.

Chuck went down the stairs. "have you seen the girl in the black gown, this height, with brown hair, in a bun?" he saw a girl pass by. She shook her head. In the far corner of the gala, he spotted her, her arm draped on Nate's, and they were about to leave. "Chuck, where's Dylan?" Serena saw him. "I'm asking the same question" he said, trying to get through the crowds of people, and getting out. "Dylan! Dylan!" he called out, but he saw Dylan and Nate, get in the limo. "Dylan! Dylan!" he pushed past a couple of people in the entrances. "Dylan!" he called out again. By the time he was outside, he saw the limo take off again. He watched it leave and make a right turn. He didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't want to believe what just happened, happened. His phone suddenly rang, and a gossip girl blast was in it, about him and Dylan. He groaned, and went back to the gala.

The following weeks were awkward for both of them. They didn't speak to each other. They ignored one another, when they passed by the halls and the courtyard. Nate, however, was becoming torn among both of them. Both of whom, he knew very well. "hey, D" Serena sat down in front of her in the courtyard. "hi, Serena" she said, while writing something in her notebook. "so, how've you been? I saw the thing with you and Chuck in Gossip Girl" she said. "listen S, I know you want us to be together, but, last night, what happened, was really complicated. It's even more complicated to explain to people over and over again. Like Marge for instance" she said. "come, on, tell me everything" Serena said. Dylan sighed, then began to explain. "oh, that happened. Aww, I'm sorry D" she said. "it's fine. We're not talking right now, anymore, at the least. Who would expect us to? I turned him down for crying out loud" she said. "you feeling better about it now?" Serena asked. "of course. Those movie marathons with Nate did it" Dylan laughed. "so, how are things with Dan?" she asked. "things are fine. But we're old news. You're, apparently, in the buzz these days" she said. "what? what's so interesting about my life? I'm not exactly, like your best friend, Blair or anything. With the posse, and the reputation that I hear, that actually precedes her" she said. "that's why you're interesting. You're the one being talked about" she said, grinning. "and people have been asking me about you and Nate" she laughed. Dylan chuckled. "I have been getting that. Actually we have been getting that" she said. "where is Nate, by the way?" she asked. "uh, still caught up with something. Family drama. I asked him if there's anything I could do to help him in his situation, but he just doesn't want me to" Dylan shook her head. "and besides, my mom wants to drag me to Paris, for their fashion week. Want to come? We can ride our G5" she said. "your family owns a G5? Wow, I'm amazed" Serena looked impressed. "yeah, my parents bought it. So that we won't have to book first class anymore, we could just fly straight, no stopovers whatsoever, if there is a need or something" she said.

"hey Dan" Dylan spotted him, as he sat down beside Serena. "and how are you, Dylan?" he asked. "I'm dandy, thank you very much. And I can see you are doing very, very well too" she noticed him kiss Serena on the cheek. "oh yes, glad you noticed" he said. "so, Serena, I was saying, want to come for Paris Fashion Week? We're going to be there next weekend, so, I have to leave by Friday night, after school" she said. "why don't you take Nate with you?" Serena asked, then exchanging looks with Dan. "ah, Nate? Fashion Week? I don't think the two can be linked together" Dylan shook her head in disbelief. Serena began to let out an evil grin. "let me see; you, Nate, a G5, Paris, together, for the weekend" she said. "he might not be interested, and plus, it's not like we're together or anything" Dylan said. She then looked at Dan and Serena. She knew what was going on. "wait a minute, you want me and Nate?" she said. Serena sighed. "yes! That was it! You two look great together!" she said, her tone almost pleading. "what? you are way off girl!" Dylan said. She looked at Dan. "Dan! Control Serena please" she said, trying to write in her notebook. "I'm sorry. Can't" he grinned. Dylan gave him a look. "Dylan and Nate, see?! It fits perfectly! You two could never be more perfect for each other" she said. Dylan rolled her eyes. "you two have been watching those soap operas, have you?" she looked at both of them. "no we haven't. We're just saying, after seeing you two hang out, and live together, I might add," Dan said. "we figured, you would've seen this coming, you know" Serena said.

"okay, what did I miss?" Nate suddenly sat down beside Dylan. "nothing, nothing" she and Dan said. "uh, I was just talking about Paris Fashion Week, and my mom wants to drag me back there, to see the shows and everything. But I'll only go on the weekend, next week, and I was inviting Serena to come" Dylan said, then giving Dan and Serena looks. "Nate, do you want to come with us?" Serena asked him. "uh, why not? it's Paris, right?" he said. Serena gave Dylan a look that said "I told you so". "great. We leave Friday night, next week" she said. "we'll be riding their G5 going there, landing in their Paris house! I'm so excited!" Serena said. "you want to come too, Dan? Like my parents always say, the more the merrier" Dylan gave him a look. "you sure?" he said. "it's totally fine. I'll have Marge call Eva in Paris to set up the extra bedrooms in the house. It won't be a problem, invite Jenny and Eric too! It'll be fun!" she said. "I don't think my dad's going to approve me and Jenny suddenly flitting off to Paris for the weekend" Dan said. "okay, okay, I see your point on that. Okay, I'm going home, all this homework piling up, is not really helping me get through today. I'm suddenly having second thoughts on going" she said, getting her notebook. "I'll see you at home" Nate said, as she walked off, turning left. "yep. They're still not talking" Nate said, turning back to them.

But he was wrong. By the time Dylan turned the corner, she was building momentum, when she suddenly stopped as Chuck was in front of her. They stared at each other. "Dylan" he said. "Chuck" she said, trying not to catch his eye. It was awkward, to say the least. "excuse me" she began to walk, when she felt him grab her wrist. "listen, I didn't believe you when you said that you didn't mean it. I know in the back of your mind, you actually meant it" he said, staring into her eyes. Dylan looked at him. "then you must really know me, huh?" she said, pulling away. "you'd think I would've gotten over you that easily, distracted myself. Truth is, I can't. I'm not" he whispered in her ear. "just leave me alone, Chuck. I-I meant what I said that night. Things are now complicated between us, and if we get together, things will be even more complicated. I think we shouldn't see each other anymore" she said. He looked at her in disbelief. "I mean it, Chuck" she said. Chuck gave her a look. "I'll see you at school then" he said, letting her go. He looked down, then at the opposite direction, then started to walk to his limo. "Chuck! Hey!" he saw Nate standing there, waving at him. He didn't say anything, and got in.

"yes, mom, I'm not going anymore" she said, on the phone that evening. "alright, have fun in Paris with dad, yes, I will say hi to Nate for you, bye" she said, then placing her phone in her pocket. "my parents say hi" she said, sitting down in front of Nate in the dining room. "oh, tell them hi back" he said. "they're leaving for Paris tonight. Told them I won't be joining them this Fashion Week" she said, eating. "oh" Nate said, watching her, then starting to eat as well. "so, uh, I saw Chuck earlier" he said. She stopped, dropping her fork on the floor with a clutter. "ah, I sense you saw him too?" he asked. "yeah. I ran into him, and there" she said. "okay, what happened this time?" he said. Dylan began to explain. "whoa, I see. Hey, I'm about done here, and I have to tell you something" he said, leaning on the table. "okay, what?" Dylan asked him. "uh, the financial problem I was having, it's been cleared. I finally got some from my grandparents, and Chuck too" he smiled. "that's great, Nate! I'm glad your family's fine, through with all this drama from your dad or something" she said, her eyes lighting up. "yeah, so, uh, I'll be moving out now" he said. Dylan's smile faded. "aww, I enjoyed having you around the house. I'm going to miss you" she said. "I'm going to miss living here. But I have to go back home someday, you know, but I'll keep on hanging out here" he said. "you have a point. Should I help you pack?" she said, as they stood up. "why not? I already started but it's a total mess" he said. "yeah, right Nate" she said. "I'm serious, once you walk inside, you'll be surprised" he said.

They went inside the room, looking at the pile of clothes in one corner, and some other stuff in the other. "you weren't kidding" Dylan said. "let's get packing" he said, as they went in different directions of the room. "you two need some help?" Marge was standing at the door. "why not, Marge, go ahead. Fold up the sheets and make the bed again" Dylan said, folding his clothes, while Nate put his dirty laundry in the bag. "wait a minute, I'll just get the extra sheets" Marge went out all of a sudden. As Nate was fixing the rest of his things, he looked at Dylan, who put the rest of his clothes in his bag. "Dylan," he said. "yeah?" Dylan looked at him. "thanks for letting me stay here" he said. Dylan smiled at him. "no problem. I'm right here if you need me" she said. That did it. It kind of sent him over the edge. "I'll have Max drop you off at your house" she said. "thanks again" he said. "you want to know what Serena and Dan were trying to tell me before you arrived earlier today?" she said. "what? and I bet that's related to Fashion Week" he said. "she was on and on about how we're supposed to be together. And as a couple, I might add" she said, chuckling. Nate froze in his place. "r-really? uh, what else did she say?" he asked. "well, I told her, you are way off, and that they've been watching way too many soap operas or something. Then Dan suddenly says people have been talking about us, you know, about how we look great together and all that. Even Dan thinks it, and he's like, the indifferent one from both of them" she said, shaking her head. "please, we're best friends right?" she looked at Nate. He swallowed hard. "yeah, of course we are" he said. "there. There is no way we'll be together" she said, continuing to put the rest of his clothes in the bag. He zipped up his other one, and put it on the bed. "there isn't?" he asked. "well of course, there isn't. I mean, come on, we're friends. I'm pretty sure I'm not your type" Dylan shook her head. Nate swallowed hard again. "y-yeah, I'm sure I'm not yours either" he said. 'why am I saying that? I had my chance to tell her!' he shouted in his mind. "there you go. You're ready" Dylan zipped up his bag. "thanks, D" he said. "ah, is Nate ready? Max is waiting downstairs" Marge appeared, holding the spare sheets. "yeah, okay, he is" she said. Nate pressed the button and the elevator doors opened. "thanks Marge" he said. "you're very welcome, Nate" she said, waving at him. "goodnight Nate" she said. Nate looked at her. "goodnight Dylan" he said, and the elevator doors closed.

There it was. It was confirmed. Nothing was going to happen between the two of them. He didn't know what to do next. Dylan was just going to be his friend, and nothing more. He got off the elevator, and spotted Ted. "where are you going, Mr. Archibald?" he said. "oh, I'm moving out already" he said. "it's a shame. I bet Ms. Von Furstenburg was sad" he said. Nate looked back at Ted, who went on talking to some people. "she was" he said. All of a sudden, he had an idea. He dropped his bags on the floor. "Ted, watch my bags, will you?" he said, pressing the elevator button. "of course, Mr. Archibald" he said, getting them and placing them on the side. As soon as the doors opened, he got in, and pressed the button to the penthouse. He fumbled with the hem of his jacket impatiently, while the elevator was going up. He wanted to tell her. He was going to. If he didn't, he was just wasting his time going to Dylan's when he had to go home already. This was it, he was finally going to admit to her. He prepared for the worst as the elevator went up floor by floor. If Dylan turned him down, she'd still be his friend, but if Dylan felt the same way for some reason, he was going to be glad he did tell her. By the time he was there, he saw Marge. "Marge, where's Dylan?" he asked. "she's in her room" she said, pointing upwards. "thanks" he said, climbing up the stairs. "Dylan" he said, standing at the door, seeing Dylan fix herself in front of her dresser. "Nate, what are you doing here? I thought you left already" she said, facing him. "did you really mean it?" he said. "mean what?" Dylan asked. "what you said, that nothing was going to happen between us?" he said. "well, I assumed that there wasn't, knowing we're friends and all. Why?" she asked. "because-because I kind of thought there would be" he said. Dylan was suddenly surprised. "what?" she said. "well, I-I-I think" he stammered. Dylan didn't say anything. "what I'm trying to say is," he stopped. He began to pause for a moment, trying to get it out of his system. "I think I'm in love with you, Dylan" he said. Dylan's eyes widened.

She couldn't say anything. She stayed quiet. She turned around, and took a deep breath, and faced him again. "Nate, this is no time to be joking" she said. "I'm not joking" he said, shaking his head. That seemed to have silenced Dylan. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "please say something" he said, staring at her. She looked up at him, still not saying anything. "I guess I always was. Ever since you came back, I realized that the reason I was so attached to you, was because of it. I'm in love with you, Dylan. For some reason, I don't think Chuck should be with you. But then when you said that nothing was going to happen between us, it really hit me, that even if I told you, you'd turn me down" he explained. Dylan stayed quiet and stared at him. "I know you don't feel the same way about me. I know you look at me as a brother or something like that, but at least you finally know how I feel about you. I don't just see you as a best friend, I see you as someone, someone that . . . I can spend the rest of my life with" he said. She still didn't say anything. He looked at his watch. "I have to go. it's getting late, and I still have to unpack and set up the place. I'll see you around then" he said, turning around and leaving Dylan standing there, her expression nonplussed, her arms crossed, looking down at the floor, trying to process what Nate had just told her. She walked out of her room, and saw Nate getting in the elevator.

She didn't say anything, and he knew it. He felt a little relieved and a little worried about what Dylan would say to him. He looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor, thinking about what he had just said to her. It was true. He saw her as someone he could be with, not just as a best friend. But, she didn't anything. It wasn't clear what she wanted. He looked at the bright side. 'at least you told her, it's the least you could've done. At least she knows, Nate' he thought, as the elevator went down floor by floor, until he reached the lobby. Once he stepped out, he got his bags from Ted, and saw Max, still standing outside, waiting for him with the limo. "sorry I took so long, I just had to say something to Dylan before I left" he said, as Max opened the door. "you finally told her then?" he said. "how did you know?" Nate asked. "I didn't. it was a little obvious. Did she say anything?" he asked. Nate shook his head. "I'm sorry Nate, hey, get in, I'm taking you home" he said, as he got in. Nate opened the window to the driver. "if it helps, you two do belong together. Marge has been telling me about you two so much" he said, while driving. Nate still thought about what had happened. "on the bright side, at least she knows" Max said, then upon seeing Nate so quiet all of a sudden, he closed up the divider. A few minutes later, he arrived in front of his house. "thanks, Max" Nate said, as his bags were at the doorstep. "you're welcome" Max said, then drove away. Nate sighed, then fished around in his pocket for his house keys. Rain suddenly poured heavily into the streets. 'ugh, all the more I should get inside' he thought as he was about to turn the key into the lock. "Nate!" he heard a familiar voice. He turned around. Dylan was standing in the rain, already soaking wet. "Dylan! What are you doing here? you're getting wet" he said, going down the steps again. "I ran all the way here" she said. Nate just nodded, noticing that she didn't care that she was getting wet. "well I'm sorry I didn't say anything" she said. "look, you took me by surprise. I didn't know you felt that way" she said. "good thing I told you then" he said, looking down. He looked at her again. He was also soaking wet, but as of that moment, he didn't care anymore. "so, now what? are you going to say what I think you're going to say?" he said. Dylan came closer. "but the other reason I didn't say anything was because," she stopped. "was because I love you too. Because of course I do. That was also one of the reasons why I turned Chuck down. I love you, Nate, I always have. Only I didn't realize it until you said you loved me" she said. Nate didn't say anything, but he could tell she was getting teary-eyed. "remember, what you told me, when you were trying to make me feel better, that Chuck doesn't know the Dylan that you know? well, you're right, because you're the one who knows me so well, and you're the one who loves me just as I am" she said. They stared at each other right there, in the middle of the street, in the pouring rain. "so, what do you want us to be?" she asked. And then Nate stepped forward and kissed her. "we are what we want to be" he said, kissing her again. He pulled her into his arms, and held her tight, as if he wasn't going to let her go, ever again.


	14. Oh My Chuck

**A/N: Okay, since there has been a change in the flow, this might not be the last chapter [i said possibly after all]. Anyway, Please read and review this one. For you, DYLANATE fans, thanks for the reviews. Please, please, please review this one :D I'll be putting in Chuck in the next chapter since in this one, he's not really saying anything. **

The phones of everyone in the Upper East Side suddenly rang with a Gossip Girl blast. "Eric, can you please get that?" Serena said, as she was fixing her stuff, while Eric got her phone. "oh my god! Serena! I think you should see this!" he said, in sheer surprise. "what? what is it?" Serena hurried out of her room, and upon looking at her phone. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT LAST!!!!!" she exclaimed, while giving Eric a hug. It was a picture of Dylan and Nate kissing in the rain, probably taken by someone passing by in the sidewalk that time. "**spotted: D finally realizing that the person she was looking for, was just right in front of her all along. Here's a fairy tale ending for sure. Too bad for C though, looks like our little princess has already chosen her prince charming, and gotten away with it too**" it said underneath the picture. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!" Serena screamed in delight. "what is going on with you two?" Lily suddenly appeared in the living room. "Dylan and Nate are finally together" Serena said, giggling. "Dylan? Dylan Von Furstenburg?" she said. "yeah. They're like a real-life love story or something" she said. "it can compare to Nicholas Sparks, that's for sure" Eric added. "I thought Dylan was with Chuck, what happened there?" Lily asked. "they didn't really see eye-to-eye, well, they were about to, but in the end, Dylan picked Nate over him" Serena said. "well, I'm happy for Dylan and Nate, but a little sad for Charles" Lily said. "well, he kind of deserved it. It was like a repeat of what happened last year" Serena said. "oh, well, serves him right then" Lily said.

Jenny screamed with delight as well, in the living room. "AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!" she said, giving Dan a hug. "hey, hey, what's going on?" Dan said. "yeah, what he said" Rufus looked confused. "Dylan and Nate are finally together!!! It's confirmed, it's like what happened in The Notebook or something" Jenny giggled as she looked at the picture. "how did you know?" Dan asked. Jenny showed him the picture. "wow, I'm surprised myself. We kept on teasing her with Nate the other day" he said. "Dylan and Nate together, huh. That's great! I'm happy for them" Rufus said. "I knew making their matching outfits for my party would pay off" Jenny smiled wide, staring at the picture again. "wait a minute, isn't Dylan the girl who's always with Nate?" Rufus asked them. "yeah, she is. But they were, I mean they are best friends, they've known each other since they were 5 years old. Their parents were friends too" Dan said. "and now, they're finally together! I'm so happy for them. They're like my favorite couple ever!" Jenny said excitedly. "aside from you and Serena of course" she added. "wait, isn't she the one who likes Chuck too?" Rufus said. "yeah, but she finally realized that Nate was the one for her all along, which makes it cool because I finally have a real-life Barbie and Ken" Jenny said. "but Barbie and Ken broke up, right?" Dan said. "how did you know that?" Jenny asked. "common knowledge. It was in this magazine that I was reading" he said. "okay, whatever, I'm going to go drop by Dylan's place if ever, I'll see you around" she said, then leaving.

Dylan opened her eyes. She had a good night's sleep. She looked around. She wasn't at her house. She was at Nate's. And Nate was there, with her, his arm around her. She stared at him, as he was still sleeping. She couldn't believe what she was feeling at this very moment. Nate's eyes suddenly opened. "hey" he said, groggily. "hi" she said. "how'd you sleep?" he said. "great. You?" she asked. "like a baby" he chuckled. "I can't believe I'm waking up next to you" she said. "neither could I" he said, stroking her cheek, then kissing her. "so, this is us now, huh?" she said. "yeah, it is" he said, kissing her again. She got up all of a sudden. "okay, let's go to my place for breakfast, I bet Marge is making her chocolate chip pancakes today" she said, getting up, and putting her clothes back on. "chocolate chip pancakes? I'm game for that" he said, getting up as well, and changing his clothes. "we better hurry, I think she doesn't know about us yet" she said, tying her hair. "I think she does. Way before this happened, she's already teasing me and stuff" he said, putting on a shirt, and then his favorite pair jeans and sneakers. "ooh, very casual for an Archibald" Dylan looked him up and down. "I always dress like this, Dylan. Come on, don't be so surprised when you see me in these" he said. Dylan pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you Nate Archibald" she said. "I love you Dylan Von Furstenburg" he smiled as he kissed her. "I just want to stay like this" she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "me too" he said, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. Dylan looked up. "come on, we have to go" she said, pulling him towards the door and out of the house.

Serena screamed when she saw both of them coming her way. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! Dylan! I'm so happy for both of you" she said, hugging Nate as well. "the word's out after all" Nate said. "I've been waiting for you two to get together. Where are you two headed?" she asked. "my place, for breakfast, I bet Marge is making her special chocolate chip pancakes" Dylan said. "great! I was just about to ask if you wanted to have breakfast with me, I brought croissants" she held up a paper bag. "great, come with us" Dylan said. "ugh, I just can't get enough of you two" she looked at Dylan and Nate, whose hands were glued together. "does Dan know?" Dylan asked. "I bet he does" Serena said. "Chuck definitely knows, though" she added. Dylan and Nate exchanged looks with each other. "alright, it's fine, it's fine" Dylan said. "D, I know how things ended with you two, but hey, Nate's here with you" she said. "of course" Dylan kissed him on the cheek.

"so, how did it happen? Where did it happen most importantly" Serena was sitting on Dylan's bed while Dylan was in the bathroom. "it's a long story, I tell you" Dylan came out, hair wet, and in her dark skinny jeans, a very loose blue statement shirt with the sleeves folded, and her rainbow printed Converse sneakers. "okay, it happened right after dinner, when Nate told me that he was moving out already, and then you know I offered to help him pack up his stuff, since he was going to leave right after, and then I tell him what happened in the courtyard before he came, and we got to talking about friendship, until he finally leaves, so I go up to my room and fix up some stuff, when suddenly he comes back, and then he asks me if I meant what I said about the two of us not really getting together, ever, and of course, I told him yeah, and then he just tells me that he's in love with me," Dylan explained. Serena was swooning. "and then he tells me that he kind of was all along, and that he doesn't really see Chuck and I being a couple, and he presumed that I didn't feel the same way," Dylan added. "well of course you knew you did, right?" Serena said. "yeah, obviously" Dylan said. "Dylan, Serena, food's ready" Marge appeared at the door. "okay, Marge, we'll come down" Dylan looked at her. "aww, you two" she looked at Dylan, then left the room. Serena laughed. "it seems she wants you and Nate to be together" she said. "she does. it's all so different, you know. Nate's not like other guys. He's not like Chuck, obviously. Nate's sensitive, you know" Dylan said, dreamily. "yeah, I know he is" Serena grinned. "so, what happened next? You were saying Nate presumed you didn't feel the same way," she added. "oh! Then he says he just doesn't see me as a best friend, he just saw me as someone whom he could spend the rest of his life with" Dylan said. Serena screamed in excitement. "that's so sweet, D" she swooned. "I know, then after that he leaves again. I was just standing in my room, thinking about all this, and then there, we kissed in the rain" Dylan finished. Serena swooned. "see, Dylan? You two could never be more perfect for each other" she said. "come on, let's go down, our food's getting cold" Dylan pulled her out of the room.

"Nate, it's so sweet" Serena looked at him and Dylan later on at breakfast. "sweet? Oh, right, she told you" he said, then looking at Dylan. "very worthy of Nicholas Sparks" Serena added. Dylan and Nate both laughed. "you just eat. I think the cold air's getting to you" Dylan said. "did Chuck hear about this? I mean, us?" Nate asked her. "probably. You know Chuck" she said, continuing to eat. "you have a point" Nate said. Their phones suddenly rang. "ah, Gossip Girl blast" Dylan said, looking at the message, then at the picture. "spotted: C and B reuniting once again. Let's hope C doesn't screw it up this time, but everyone knows the only reason why C is doing this is because he wants to get over a certain princess who has chosen another prince. xoxo, Gossip Girl" Serena was surprised. "Chuck and Blair again. Wow. I never thought they had in themselves to get back together" Serena said, putting down her phone. "those two deserve each other after all. I'm happy for them. Kind of" Dylan said.

By Monday, their news was all over the school. "Dylan, Nate's already here" Marge said from the landing of the staircase. "coming!" Dylan said, hurrying down the staircase, tying her hair into a ponytail, carrying her bag and her notebook. "hi, Nate, sorry I took so long" she said, fixing her shoes. "it's alright, we're early anyway" he said, kissing her. "okay, let's go" she said, holding his hand as they stepped in the elevator. They looked up at the lights for a while. "you know, there's something coming up. There's another party this week" Nate said, then looking at her. Dylan looked at him as well, and they both had the same idea. Without another word, they dropped their things and began kissing each other. She threw her arms around his neck, while he wrapped his arms around her waist. "how many floors left?" he said, while kissing her neck and removing his blazer. "I live at the top floor. We still have time" she said, running her hands through his hair. "oh hello-" Ted was shocked to see Dylan and Nate come out of the elevator, looking all haggard. Dylan was fixing her skirt, while Nate was fixing his hair, and zipped up his pants. "hello, Ted" Dylan said, tying her hair again. "hi Ted" Nate said, pulling Dylan towards the door. Ted gave them a look which said "I didn't think you had in yourselves". Dylan and Nate went out laughing, and started to walk towards Constance. "do you think Ted knew what we were doing in there?" he said. "I think he did" Dylan was laughing again. "you have a cute laugh, did you know that?" Nate said to her. "really? well, I think you're cute" she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "come on, Dylan, we have to get to school" he pulled her down the sidewalk. "oh my god, Dylan Von Furstenburg?" a little girl stood in front of them. "hello" Dylan said, a little weirded out. "we read all about you and Nate in Gossip Girl" another girl appeared in front of them. "you two really do belong together" the two of them swooned, then walked away. Dylan and Nate laughed. "you get that a lot?" she asked him. "nope, this is the first time" he said. "okay, we really have to get to school" Dylan pulled him again.

They got there, only to be welcomed by Serena, who was grinning at them. "you two look different" she said, looking at both of them. "really? I didn't notice anything?" Dylan said. "neither did I" Nate shook his head. They began to look at their clothes. "ah, I knew it" Serena crossed her arms, grinning. "knew what?" Nate said. "we have Physics first, come on, come!" Serena pulled Dylan up the steps. Dylan looked back at Nate, who was going another direction. They smiled at each other, then continued on.

"it's so, boring, you know. I honestly can't even pay attention earlier in class" Serena leaned on the table in the courtyard. "well, if you're feeling sleepy, you can always do the pen trick. Just do whatever you do when you're sleepy, and when you feel like the teacher's looking at you, you just fake finding your pen, like saying it really loud, but not really loud, like, "I got it!" and there" Dylan said, laughing. "I might just" Dan appeared and put his arm around Serena. "where's Nate?" Dylan asked. "oh, he's caught up in the classroom. I'm not sure" Dan said, shaking his head. "hey, I'm going to Broadway, and see a play. I've been looking for inspiration. I kind of wanted to ask Nate to come with me, but apparently he isn't here yet" Dylan said. "you write?" Dan said. "yeah, I do. Modernist plays and fiction. That's why I went to Sorbonne one summer" Dylan said. "whoa. So you've met professors there?" Dan said, amazed. "yeah. I think it was Mr. Jacques Joaquin who critiqued my work. He said there's a lot of room for improvement. And I need inspiration" she said, burying her face in her Moleskine journal. She suddenly looked at Dan. "hello, everyone, and my girlfriend" Nate appeared and sat down beside Dylan. "hello," Dylan kissed him on the cheek. "oh wait, I'm going to see a play later in Broadway. Want to come?" she asked. "sure, why not?" Nate smiled. "and hey, my parents are inviting you to have dinner with us again tonight" Dylan said. "alright. I'll come by your place around 7-ish?" he said. "sounds great. Come by my place around 4. Ted can take us to my parents house right away. I'll see you, and I love you" she said, standing up, kissing him then walking out. "wow, meeting the parents. That's a big step" Serena said. "well, yeah. But my parents are friends with her parents so, I don't think it should be a problem when they find out I'm going out with Dylan" Nate said calmly. "well it does justify that you've known each other for a long time and never did anything about it, until now" Serena said. "so, what are you saying? That I'm supposed to impress her parents? You are way off. Her parents know me. I'm sure they'll be fine" Nate said. "I don't think so," Dan shook his head. "even though you have a very good point about her parents knowing you since you two were five, I mean you two have just crossed the borders from friends to more than friends. And your parents, as well as her parents, don't even know that you two have done just that" Dan explained. "so?" Nate asked. "what do you think they're going to say when Dylan tells them that you two are a thing now?" he added. Nate didn't say anything. "what Dr. Humphrey is telling you is that maybe you should be a little more than just Nate Archibald, the guy who is more than what they know as Dylan's best friend, but the guy who they're going to think is perfect for her" Serena concluded. "I mean, be the charming, sweet, handsome, Nate Archibald that Dylan knows and loves" Serena added. Dan gave her a look. "handsome?" he said. Nate began to laugh. "oh, it's true. You're even prettier than Serena" he joked. "shut up" she playfully punched him on the arm.

Later that night, Dylan and Nate got in the limo going to the Von Furstenburg mansion. "that play was so nice! I missed watching plays in Broadway. I missed seeing the real New York, you know, the artsy places, Times Square, Soho, and not the Upper East Side" she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "the play was great, wasn't it? I could not have picked a better lead than that woman" he said, putting his arm around her. Dylan looked up at him. "should we tell my parents that we're, you know, a thing now?" she said. "I don't know. Do you want to tell them?" he said. "would it be alright if I did? Because I don't think that it'll be problem with them. They'll see the handsome, charming, sweet, gentleman that I know and love" she said, pouting at him. "I hate it when you do that" he said, kissing her. "why?" she said. "it makes me feel like I have to agree with you on that" he said. "you know, right after dinner, we could um, you know," she started fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. "this is a side of Dylan Von Furstenburg that I haven't seen before" he said, a little amazed and surprised at the same time. "we're here" Max said, from the driver's seat, opening the divider. They saw Alice come out of the front door, and open the door of their limo. "bonjour Alice" she said. "bonjour mademoiselle" she said curtly. "uh, bonjour Alice" Nate said as well. "bonjour monsieur" she nodded as well. "uh, mademoiselle Dylan, your parents are waiting for you in the dining hall" she said, her French accent very visible. "merci Alice, uh, Nate, come on, lets go" she said, pulling Nate inside. "ah, monsieur Nate and mademoiselle Dylan. Trés bien. Vous deux semblez grands ensemble" she said. Nate gave her a look. "Marge told me all about it. You two are together, no?" she said. Nate nodded. "yeah, we are" he smiled, then followed Dylan to the dining hall.

"Dylan, you should've been there, Fashion Week was amazing. The couture was divine. Oh, which reminds me, I got you something" Caroline said, over dinner. "actually somethings. I met up with Donatella, Lagerfeld, Nicholas Guesquiere, Valentino, and Marc. They were hoping you would be there with us in Paris, but of course I told them you had school, and you were trying to adjust back in New York, so they all sent something for you. And from the after parties I've been to, they all had gift baskets with your name on it" she added. "please, ma, do not guilt trip me. I know you love to do that" Dylan said. "your mother has been everywhere lately, sweetheart," Stuart said. "as for your father, he stayed at the South of France, swimming in the beach" Caroline said. "ah, that explains the tan you have right now. Doesn't look so bad" Dylan smiled. "so, Dylan, what has my darling daughter done while we were away?" they asked. "uh, well," she began to look at Nate, who just nodded. "as of this moment, I have a boyfriend now" she said. Stuart and Caroline stared at her. "who is it? Did you get back with Gerard? He's a darling young man" Caroline said. "uh, no, actually. I did not. But if you want to know what really happened, we ended on good terms actually" Dylan said. "so, who is the young man that's dating my daughter?" Stuart asked. "I can't say just yet. But I'll tell you later" Dylan said.

The two of them were at the lounge, watching the fire. "think you can tell them now? I still have to tell my mom" Nate said. "I think they'll be fine with us dating. They don't really have anything against you. Our parents are friends anyway" Dylan lay down on his lap. "you do have a point. And we've known each other for a long time, right?" he said. "yeah" Dylan nodded. Alice suddenly appeared. "mademoiselle, your mother craves a word with you" she said, bowing in front of both of them. "okay, I'll be right back" she stood up, and followed Alice.

She went inside the study, where her mom and dad were. "someone's here to see you, Dylan" Caroline said, and a guy turned around in front of her. "Gerard? Oh my god!" she was surprised. "Dylan! It's so good to see you again. Paris has been lonely since you left" he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Sandra has told us about your wonderful paintings" Stuart said, while drinking a martini. "I wouldn't exactly call them wonderful" Gerard said shyly. "what are you doing back here?" Dylan asked. "well, my mom wants me to come and stay here for a few days, a week or so, then I leave for Paris again" he said, sitting down. Dylan suddenly thought about Nate, who was waiting for her in the lounge. "um, mom, dad, mind if I bring Nate in? he might be a little lonely" she said. "no, go ahead. Call him to come here. The more the merrier" Stuart laughed. "merci dad" she said, leaving the room. "Nate, come!" she said as she spotted him, seated on the chair. "me? why?" he came closer. "I want you to meet someone" she smiled at him as she pulled in into the room. "ah, there he is now" Caroline said, upon seeing Nate come in behind Dylan. "uh, Gerard, I would like you to meet my best friend, Nate Archibald. Nate, this is Gerard Mason" she said.


	15. Signal Fire

**A/N: This is officially the last chapter. Thanks to all who read this fic, and thanks for the reviews. I'll be writing another fic soon, probably a sequel to this one or something. So, here is the last chapter. Read and Review please. **

Nate sat down in front of Serena and Dan the following day. "I met her ex-boyfriend" he said to them. "no way" Serena said. "yeah" Nate nodded. "what did he look like?" Serena said. "think of him as the younger version of Tom Cruise" he said. Serena and Dan were stumped. "so, what else happened?" Serena asked. "you guys were right. I mean I should've stepped up a bit, if I want her parents to know that I'm better than her ex" Nate said, leaning on the table. "no, no. Wait, how do her parents act towards her ex?" Dan asked. "they couldn't be more happier to have him there. they like him, seeing as his mother is friends with her mother, and Dylan and Gerard met in Paris" Nate said. "of course I couldn't actually say anything to her, she pulled me in that room, with her parents, and her ex-boyfriend. Her ex-boyfriend who's a painter" Nate explained, burying his face in his blazer. "but at least her parents know she has a boyfriend. They don't know it's me, that's all" he grumbled. "come on, Nate, Dylan loves you. She'll tell her parents you're her boyfriend. Come on, you can't get jealous. You guys just started out" Serena said. "yeah, and I'm just saying. Dylan seems to be the one with control. She knows she has you" Dan added. "hey guys" Dylan sat beside Nate all of a sudden. "hey Dylan" Serena smiled. "how did dinner with the 'rents go?" Dan asked. "it went great. And to my surprise as well, Gerard was there. And I introduced them to each other" Dylan said. "Gerard's your ex, right?" Serena said. "yeah" Dylan said. "why was he there?" Dan asked. "he was flying in from Paris, and his mom, whom we met during the gala wanted to see him, and he just had to stop over to the house so he could get a ride towards his house" Dylan said. "ooh, talk about an ex who still calls and meets up" Dan said. "we're friends now. We ended on good terms actually" Dylan said. "ah, that explains it" Dan nodded.

"is Gerard, uh, you know" Nate said, as they were walking down the sidewalk. "what?" Dylan looked at him. "here for good?" he said. "I don't know. Nate, if this was about what happened last night, I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell my parents about us" she said, kissing him. "no, no it's not your fault" he said. "well, my parents suddenly did this. Gerard suddenly shows up and it was indeed a surprise to see him, in my parents house" she said, suddenly thinking, and Nate laughed at her. "but I promise, I will tell my parents about us. Chances are, if I told them, they're going to tell yours. Your mom anyway" she said. "alright, alright, I'll take you on that" he said. "how about right now?" she said. Her phone suddenly rang. "speak of the devil" she said, answering the call. "hi mom" she said. "uh, ma, I haven't told you and dad whom I'm with yet last night" she said. Nate looked at her. "well I want to tell you two right now. . . get dad, and put me on speakerphone," she said. Nate chuckled. "you all do that a lot?" he asked. "kind of. Since I spent the summer at the South Of France, we have been "speaker phone-ing ourselves"" she laughed, then straightened herself when she heard her mom. "okay, mom, dad," she put them on speakerphone as well. "the guy that I'm with is not Gerard. Gerard and I are not back together. Nor will we ever be since we agreed to be friends. The guy I'm with is someone you all know and have been seeing for the past few dinners" she said, then keeping quiet, waiting for her parents' reactions. It was quiet on the other line. "what happened?" Nate whispered. "mom? Dad? Alice? Please say something. s'il vous plait" she said. Then they distanced themselves from the phone as they heard cries of joy and excitement. Nate and Dylan looked at each other, confused. "Nous ne pouvions jamais être plus heureux d'en entendre. Dylan, vous et Nate appartenez ensemble. Vous deux étiez toujours" Caroline said. "Est Nate là avec vous en ce moment ?" Stuart spoke out of the blue. "Oui, le papa, il est" she said. "get him on, please" Caroline said, and Dylan gave the phone to Nate. "Nathaniel, you could never be more perfect for our daughter" Caroline said. "take care of my girl" Stuart said. "yes, sir" Nate smiled at Dylan. "this calls for a celebration. Have Marge bring out the champagne. Nate, invite your mother over to Dylan's place, so she could hear the good news. I bet she'll be happy to hear about this" Stuart said. "well, I don't know. she's going through a lot of things lately, with my dad, and the money," he said. "well, I'm sure hearing you two will make her day brighter" Caroline said. "thank you, Caroline" he said, placing an arm around Dylan. "we'll be coming over tonight, and we'll invite your mother for you Nathaniel" Stuart said, then they hung up.

Dylan and Nate split up for a while, going to each other's places to get ready for the little get together that night. As Dylan was picking out a dress to wear in her room, someone suddenly knocked on the door. "Dylan, someone's here to see you" Marge said. "oh, alright, it's probably Serena" she said. "no, it isn't" Marge shook her head. Dylan, confused, followed her out of her room and down the stairs, where she saw, for the first time in a few days, Chuck, seated on the couch. "Chuck" she said, stopping in her tracks in front of him. "Je vous ai vus et Nate sur la Fille de Potins" he said, standing up in front of her. "et ?" she said, a little uncomfortable. "je suis heureux pour vous deux. Ainsi Archibald a posé le Von Furstenburg" he said, coming closer to her. "Ne moi dites pas que vous êtes rentrés ensemble avec Blair juste parce que vous nous avez vus" she said, trying to put up a strong front. Chuck didn't say anything. "if this is all what you came here for, I think it's about time you leave" she said. "j'ai voulu dire que j'ai dit quand vous m'avez quitté. Je ne peux pas vous traverser. Je ne suis pas sur vous. Pourquoi vous ne pouvez pas le voir ?" he grabbed her hands. "Parce que si je n'ai pas fait, alors il aurait été incorrect. Pour nous deux" she said, letting go. It wasn't visible, but Dylan could tell Chuck was crushed. "Si je pourrais reculer le temps, je pourrais me changer, juste vous faire voir, mais je ne peux pas. I'm sorry" He said. "c'est la bonne chose de Nate. Il me connaît bien. Il ne ferait jamais rien pour me faire mal. Il est trop bon, même pour vous" she said, then turning around to go back up the stairs again. Chuck suddenly grabbed her hand, then pulled her towards him. "what are you doing?" she said. "this" he kissed her. It was intense. And it sent the same electricity in her as it did before, but the feeling was gone. "what was that for?" she said. "I just want you to know how I feel like right now" he said, as she pulled away from him. "then I'm sorry you feel that way" Dylan said. Chuck stared at her, then took a deep breath. "always a pleasure, Von Furstenburg. I can let myself out" he said, turning around to go to the elevator. Her phone suddenly rang. "hey" she said, sitting down. "hey Dylan, you want to come over to Dan's place? If you're not doing anything with Nate" Serena said on the other line. "sure! sure! Nate has to do something anyway before tonight, my parents are coming over to talk about me and Nate" she said. "they know already? What did they say?" Serena asked. "they were surprisingly very happy about the whole thing" Dylan said. Serena screamed on the phone so she had to distance herself from it. "come on! Meet me at the Palace" she said.

"and we're here" Serena and Dylan appeared at the Humphrey's. "wow, Dylan, Serena, glad to see you two here" Rufus said. "good to be here too, Mr. Humphrey" Dylan laughed. "hey guys" Jenny said. "hey" they said. "hey Serena," Vanessa suddenly appeared. "Vanessa, I'd like you to meet Dylan Von Furstenburg" Jenny introduced them and they shook hands. "Dylan, this is Vanessa" Jenny said. "hey" Dylan smiled. "I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you" Vanessa said. "you too" Dylan said. "wow, your news with Nate is certainly all over Gossip Girl these days" Vanessa said. "hello" Dan suddenly appeared and kissed Serena. "the whole gang's here, huh?" Rufus looked at them. "not quite. Nate's not here" Serena grinned. "oh, yeah, I heard about you and Nate. To be honest I'm not surprised" he laughed. "hey, I've heard one of your band's singles, and I'm now officially a fan of Lincoln Hawk" Dylan laughed. "why thank you Dylan" Rufus laughed as well. "well your friend has some pretty amazing taste in music" Rufus looked at Dan, and they laughed. "I don't know, dad, I'll have to figure it out myself" Dan said. "so, what are we doing today?" Jenny asked them. "know any good movies on today?" Vanessa asked them. "uh, I have the box set of The Godfather?" Dylan suddenly spoke. "great! An excuse for us to get out of here" Dan said, opening the door. "hey, we came to see you guys" Serena stopped him. "if I had only known, I should've brought it with me instead. But that's alright, we came here to hang out, and we are," Dylan suddenly said, getting out her phone. The rest of them exchanged looks with each other, then watching her dial a number. "Marge? It's Dylan, do you know where my box set of The Godfather is?. . . okay, can you ask Max to bring it here for me. He knows where I am. . . alright, thank you Marge, oh, and have the champagne ready, mom and dad are coming over tonight, they apparently want to celebrate the news of me and Nate getting together. . . . . . . alright, alright,. . . . . thank you Marge" and she put her phone back in her pocket. "your parents are celebrating?" Rufus said. "yeah, they took the news very well" Dylan turned a little pink.

Nate dropped by Chuck's place later that day. "hey Chuck" he said, entering the apartment. "hey" Chuck sat on the stool at the counter. "you okay, man?" he said, noticing Chuck. He seemed to be very quiet lately. "never been better" he said, with sarcasm. "oh. Uh, okay, I see, I just stopped by to see if I could hang out here. Dylan's with Serena at Dan's place, and I just want to kill time until tonight" Nate said. "please, stay as long as you want" Chuck was looking at his glass of scotch. Nate quietly sat down and crossed his legs. "so, you and Blair together again, huh?" he said, trying to make conversation. Chuck didn't say anything. He was too stumped by what happened between him and Dylan earlier. "Chuck? You sure you're okay?" Nate looked at him. "why wouldn't I be?" he said, putting down the glass and sitting in front of Nate. "so, the Archibald has landed the Von Furstenburg. I never knew you had it in you" he said. "oh, is this about me and Dylan on Gossip Girl?" Nate said, confused. "I'm just saying. She picked you over me" he said. "and you have a problem with that?" Nate asked him. "I thought you would be over her by now. and besides, aren't you with Blair now?" Nate said. He couldn't help but fire up at the remarks Chuck was making. "so, you do love her?" Chuck asked him. Nate looked him in the eye. "I'm crazy about her, man. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I know she used to date you, but you've got to understand. I love Dylan" he said. "if you've got a problem with that, then I think I should leave" Nate stood up, and left. Chuck was still stumped, at what Dylan had said. Even more, at what Dylan had said to him, and in French, for that matter. He was still determined to get Dylan back. No matter what anyone said. He stared at the table, with a grin on his face. He had a plan.

Caroline and Stuart arrived that night at Dylan's place, Dylan and Nate sitting on the couch, already dressed for the occasion. "hello, darlings" Caroline said, kissing Dylan and Nate on the cheek. "hello, Nathaniel" Stuart shook his hand. "hello, sir" Nate smiled. "good to see you again, looking even more like a man than your father" he laughed. "thank you, sir" Nate laughed as well. "oh, I'm sorry Nate, we couldn't get your mother to come. But she was happy to hear the news about you two. I wonder if she's seen Dylan yet" Caroline smiled at both of them. "she hasn't yet, unfortunately" Nate smiled, his hand gripped tightly on Dylan's. "oh well, let's go to the dining room, you two, the food's getting cold" Caroline pushed them into the dining room. "hey, I think I need to talk to you about Gerard" Dylan looked at Nate. "you two coming?" Stuart looked at both of them as they stopped in the hall. "we'll be there" Dylan smiled. "alright" Stuart left them. "I'm sorry he showed up last night. You jealous?" she looked at her. Nate pouted. "it's just that you used to date Gerard, is bugging me a little. I'm not some really good painter like he is, I'm not even like Chuck, with the astronomic wealth," he said. "I'm not those things-" "hey," Dylan said, tilting his face to look at her. "Gerard is the past. I don't even care if you were dirt poor or something. I love you. No one knows me as well as you do, and I love you very much. Nothing could ever change that" she said. Nate lips formed into a smile. "Je vous aime Dylan Von Furstenburg et rien ne pourrait nous déchirer" he suddenly said. Dylan looked at him, amazed. "you speak French now? I am impressed" she said, kissing him. "well, I have been learning a little bit, actually my teacher thought I was pretty good" he grinned. "then maybe tonight, we could um, you know" she then whispered into his ear. "you read my mind" he said, as Dylan pulled him into the dining area.

"so, Nathaniel, where are you planning to go?" Stuart asked him. "uh, actually, I've had my sights set on somewhere out in the West, but, now, I'm hoping to apply in Princeton as well" he smiled. "great. Princeton is ivy league after all" Stuart raised his glass to him. "I would like to propose a toast, to the two of you, already dating" Caroline swooned at both of them. "mom, you don't need to rub it in" Dylan said, turning a little pink. "you two could not be anymore perfect for each other. I always saw that in both of you when you two were younger" Caroline said. "watch out Nate, we'll be watching you like a hawk from now on" she joked. "I'll take good care of your daughter, Caroline, I promise" Nate kissed Dylan on the cheek.

They were almost done with the dinner when Marge suddenly came in, looking a little shocked. "is there someone outside, Marge?" Dylan asked. She nodded. "who is it? It's probably your mother" Caroline then looked at Nate. "it's not his mother" she said. Chuck burst in the dining room. "Dylan, I'm not leaving until you tell me that everything's really over" he said. Dylan stood up. "yes Chuck, it was in the first place" she said. "Chuck, I think you should leave" Nate said. "it's not a good enough reason to make me leave" he said. "Chuck! I think you should get out of here now" Nate said. Chuck glared at him, then suddenly almost collapsed on the side. Caroline and Stuart were speechless. "I know you did love me at one point. But it's not an excuse for you to pick Nate over me" he said. Dylan's eyes widened at him. "and who are you, young man?" Stuart looked at him. "I'm Chuck Bass, and I used to date your daughter" he said. "Dylan, is this true?" Caroline said in disbelief. "it's as true as it can get" Chuck said. "who told you to speak?" Nate said to him. "I could ask you the same question, Nate" he said. "Chuck, I do insist that you leave" Dylan said. Chuck pulled her and kissed her. Nate suddenly came between them and punched him. "what the heck are you doing?! She's my girlfriend!" he said, enraged. Dylan sat down, burying her face in her hands. Chuck got to his feet. "fine, I'll let myself out" he said, then leaving. Caroline and Stuart didn't really know what to say. "Dylan, is that true? You dated that guy?" Caroline said, somehow appalled by the idea. Dylan nodded. Nate looked at her. He could see her tears falling on her table napkin. "excuse me" she said, then going out the room. "I'll talk to her" Nate said.

Dylan sat down in her room, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "hey," Nate went inside. Dylan looked up at him. He sat down beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry" she looked at him. "shh, it's okay" he took her in his arms. "I just feel so humiliated in front of my parents, and in front of you" she sniffed. "hey, Dylan, you've cried in front of me lots of times, you could never be embarrassing" he shook his head and kissed her forehead. "I just want us to be together, you know" she said. "I know that. I do too. Chuck just got in the way" he said. "this is almost the first time I've been embarrassed in front of my parents" she said. "I don't want my past to get caught up with me again," she added. "yeah, Julian, and then Gerard, and Nick, and Chuck" he counted. "stop it" she playfully punched him on the arm. "what?" he laughed. "I'm just trying to get you to smile" he said. "I know" she nodded, and kissed him. She then stood up. "I'm not in the mood to get back to my parents after this" she wiped her tears again. "so, don't" Nate said. "I should tell them that though" she said. "come on, I'll be with you" he held her hand. "thank you. For everything" she said. "that's what I'm here for" he said, kissing her. "okay, time to face my parents" she said.

They came back down to the living room, where Caroline and Stuart were looking at them. "Dylan Von Furstenburg, what happened to you?" Caroline looked at her. "mom, dad, I think I should call it a night, I'm not feeling as well as I should be" she said, rubbing her temples. "are you sure? You were fine a moment ago?" Caroline said. "yes, mom, I'm sure. It has come to my attention only now" she said. "oh, well, we have to call it a night too, your mother has an early tennis match" Stuart said. "good luck on the game, mom, and dad, easy on the scotch" Dylan said, kissing her parents on the cheek, as they went to the elevator. "Nathaniel, take care of here please, and Marge, see to it that she is fine, we'll see you all" Stuart said, as they stepped inside the elevator and doors closed. "goodnight" they said. "you might want to explain?" Marge put her hands on her hips. "I'm suddenly not in the mood to be all happy ever since Chuck arrived" Dylan sighed, sitting on the couch. "was that pasrt of the reason why Chuck was here earlier before you went to Serena's?" Marge said. Nate suddenly looked at her. "why was Chuck here?" Nate said. "the same reason why he was here again earlier" Dylan said.

Dylan went inside her room. "I guess I should leave then," Nate said, turning to the door. "Nate," Dylan said. "what?" he asked. "stay. With me. Tonight. Please" she said. Nate smiled at her. "of course" he said. "thank you" she said, hugging him. "nothing could tear us apart" Nate whispered in her ear. It then made her feel secure. She was with Nate now, and nothing could ever come between them.


End file.
